Herbs for Grief
“Grief is love trying to find its way forward.”
Grief is something we all move through at different points in our lives.
After losing someone we love…
but also through…
divorce, illness, job loss, empty nests…
and other endings we didn’t choose.
Grief comes in waves. Sometimes fierce, sometimes more quietly,
often at the most unexpected moments.
Most of us were never taught how to sit with our grief.
We often stay strong, productive, composed.
But Grief teach can teach us how we find our way home again.
Herbs hold us gently,
so the heart can breathe, soften, and slowly heal.
Grief is never over, but herbs can help us find an expansion within - where we become a container that is larger than just grief.
Grief is messy. It is wild and painful, and can bring us to places within that are scary - And to places that are Sacred.
Grief may change you, but it doesn’t have to destroy you.
Herbs can help you befriend your new companion … Grief.
How Grief Moves Through the Body
Grief is not only emotional, it affects us physically.
It can show up as:
- heaviness in the chest
- shallow or tight breathing
- exhaustion
- anxiety or overwhelm
- tension around the heart
- disrupted sleep
- digestive changes
- brain fog
- emotional waves that wash over you unexpectedly
- Anxiety, melancholy, or depression
This is because grief touches the nervous system, respiratory system, circulation, and the heart rhythm itself.
You are not “doing grief wrong.”
Your body is responding to Love that has not found a place to go.
Herbal Allies for Grief & Heart
These plants have long supported both the emotional and physical heart. They bring comfort, softness, and resilience.
In our Heart Support Tea and Tincture, we use some of these herbs to hold you, and to help your heart recover from grief, or other heart shocks:
Hawthorn
A classic heart tonic.
Hawthorn strengthens and protects the heart both physically and emotionally.
- steadies the heart’s rhythm
- softens heaviness
- supports circulation
- holds the heart through long-term grief
Hawthorn is a plant for courage and resilience.
Ginkgo Leaf
Ginkgo clears emotional & mental fog, a very real part of grief.
- improves circulation to the brain and heart
- brings clarity where everything feels dull
- helps the mind “wake up” again
Beautiful for grief that feels numbing or overwhelming.
Rose
Rose is the medicine of tenderness.
- softens the emotional armor grief can create
- opens the chest
- helps release grief that has become stuck
- brings beauty back to the senses
Rose reminds the heart how to feel without breaking.
Linden
Linden is comfort medicine.
- calms emotional overwhelm
- slows anxious breathing
- relaxes tension in the chest
- soothes heart-centered anxiety
Linden is a warming herb, and helps us to release past trauma without ‘reliving’ it.
Motherwort
Perfect for grief that feels jagged, sharp, or frantic.
- helps when emotions feel “too much”
- steadies shock
- supports the heart rhythm during emotional intensity
Motherwort is grounding and stabilizing.
Oat Straw / Oats
One of the most nourishing herbs for the nervous system, especially after long-term emotional strain.
- rebuilds resilience
- supports emotional stamina
- helps after burnout or long periods of sadness
- restores your capacity to cope
Oats are gentle nervous system food.
Tulsi (Holy Basil)
Tulsi uplifts gently and clears emotional heaviness.
- lifts mood
- strengthens mental and spiritual resilience
- helps the heart feel less alone
- supports clarity
Beautiful during transitions.
Lavender
Lavender calms the heart-mind.
- eases anxiety
- relaxes the breath
- supports sleep
- dissolves tension around the heart
A perfect evening support.
Orange Peel
A gentle aromatic that warms the spirit.
- uplifting
- brightens emotional heaviness
- softens sadness
- brings a sense of lightness back
Orange peel helps when everything feels flat or grey.
one ritual for a Grieving Heart
- Brew a cup of Heart Support Tea
(or take your Heart Support tincture). - Place your hand over your chest.
Feel the warmth of your own presence. - Breathe in slowly.
Exhale fully. - Whisper - or say to yourself:
“I am allowed to feel this.”
or
“Grief is part of my healing.” - Sip.
Let the plants hold you for a moment.
A Lakota prayer for Grieving
“In the Lakota/Sioux tradition, a person who is grieving is considered most awoken, most holy.
There's a sense that when someone is struck by the sudden lightning of loss, he or she stands on the threshold of the spirit world.
The prayers of those who grieve are considered especially strong, and it is proper to ask them for their help.
You might recall what it's like to be with someone who has grieved deeply.
The person has no layer of protection, nothing left to defend.
The mystery is looking out through that person's eyes.
For the time being, he or she has accepted the reality of loss and has stopped clinging to the past or grasping at the future.
In the groundless openness of sorrow, there is a wholeness of presence and a deep natural wisdom.”
