If you spend enough time around herbs, you'll run into the word nervine. It shows up in old herbals, on apothecary jars, and on one of the longest-running bottles on our shelf. Most people skip past it. It deserves a closer look, because it shows how herbalists used to think about plants.
Where the word comes from
A nervine isn't a single plant. It's a category. In the 1800s, American herbalists (the Eclectic physicians and the folk practitioners who learned from them) sorted plants by what they seemed to do. Bitters woke up the appetite. Demulcents, the slippery ones like marshmallow root, coated and soothed. Nervines were the plants they reached for when someone felt frayed and wound up after a hard stretch.
They didn't treat all nervines alike. Some were considered gentle and relaxing. Some were "tonics," meant to be taken steadily over weeks rather than all at once. A few were saved for evening. That split between daytime and nighttime herbs still matters, and it's why we make more than one formula.
A daytime formula, on purpose
When people ask us about "calming herbs," they usually mean sleep. But much of the old nervine tradition was about getting through the day: staying even through a long week and keeping your head clear while things pile up.
That's what our Nervine is for. It's a daytime blend of ten herbs made to support a calm, steady response to everyday stress.* We'll cover our evening formula in a separate post.
What's in it, herb by herb
Skullcap. American skullcap is a small mint-family plant that grows in wet ground across eastern North America. It was one of the most-used nervines in 19th-century American herbal practice, where it was traditionally used to support a relaxed, settled mind.* If an herbalist of that era had kept only one nervine, this would probably have been it.
Blue vervain. Another native plant, with tall spikes of small purple flowers. It tastes bitter, and the old herbalists thought that was part of its use. It was traditionally counted among the relaxing nervines.*
Wood betony. An old European herb that was grown in monastery and churchyard gardens for centuries. It came to America with the settlers and stayed in the herbals.
Valerian root. If you've ever opened a bag of dried valerian, you know the smell. It's somewhere between old gym socks and strong cheese, and cats love it. It's also one of the best-known herbs for relaxation, used in Europe for a very long time.* The capsule keeps the smell out of your kitchen.
Hops. Yes, the same hops that go into beer. An old story says English hop-pickers grew drowsy working the fields at harvest. Herbalists used hops traditionally to support relaxation.*
Cayenne. This one surprises people. In the early 1800s, Samuel Thomson built a whole system of herbal practice around cayenne, and generations of herbalists after him added a pinch to their formulas. They believed it helped carry the other herbs along. Grandma kept that tradition.
St. John's Wort, spearmint, and the rest. The formula also includes St. John's Wort, spearmint, lady's slipper, and mistletoe, all found in older American nervine blends. The full list is on the product page.
How to take it
Take 2 capsules, 2 or 3 times a day, with water. Tonic nervines were traditionally taken steadily over time, not just in a pinch, so many of our customers make it part of their daily routine. If you take it regularly, Subscribe & Save takes 10% off and ships it monthly.
Check with your doctor first if…
- You're pregnant or nursing.
- You take any prescription medication. St. John's Wort interacts with many common drugs, including birth control, antidepressants, and blood thinners. Please don't skip this one.
- You drink alcohol or use other products meant to help you relax or sleep.
- You have surgery coming up.
Everyone responds to herbs a little differently. See how it sits with you before driving or doing anything that needs your full attention.
Blended in St. George since 1979
Grandma's Herbs has been making Nervine for more than 40 years, and thousands of our customers keep coming back to it. It's still one of the bottles people ask for by name.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.