Jatamansi

This Himalayan relative of Valerian has a calming, quieting energy, but acts in a more balanced and less dulling way than its European cousin.

Another of its names, muskroot, describes the intense earthy scent of its root oil, revered for millennia as a perfume. Spikenard is the “very costly” oil that Mary Magdalene used to anoint the feet of Yeshua, perhaps because of the root’s traditional uses to calm and clear the mind, still the heart, and dispel doubt.

Jatamansi’s calm yet clear energy is very supportive to a meditative state of mind, whether in formal sitting or for the constant practice of mindfulness throughout the day.

Unlike European Valerian, Jatamansi is considered cooling to the mind, and so does not have the initial stimulant effect that many people experience with Valerian. This indicates its traditional use for “hot” agitated states of mind, from anxiety and headaches to OCD, ADHD, and even schizophrenia and manias.