Fatigue is one of the most common feelings in our "chronically restless" world. It can have several origins.

The first cause of fatigue is obviously lack of sleep and excessive activity. It is normal that after a busy day at work and a sports session, you are tired.

To be healthy, it is obvious that you need to do some sport and eat healthy, but above all you need to rest and sleep. Here is a simple thing that modern man has forgotten that we must also rest... But in our capitalist world, we must always be productive! Just thinking or daring to rest is often interpreted as laziness.

If it persists, if it is recurrent and chronic, fatigue can be one of the signs of endocrine disturbances, which in extreme cases include depression, burnout, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is easily detected by a simple blood test, but the beginnings of depression, burnout or fibromyalgia are more insidious, difficult to detect and often denied by the person concerned. According to some studies, about 1 in 5 Americans will suffer from depression at some point in their lives. It is the leading cause of work disability in the 14 to 44 age group. In both adults and children, chronic fatigue, like the other problems mentioned above, leads to a series of daily difficulties such as mental confusion, difficulty in concentrating and organizing the day, reduced ability to memorize and read. From a practical point of view, a tired person will be more clumsy, slower, more quickly stressed and overwhelmed and therefore in the eyes of companies, will be much less efficient and less productive.

The solutions classically proposed are sleeping pills, antidepressants or anxiolytics. At the European level, Belgium and France are among the countries with the highest consumption of this type of chemical drug. It should be remembered that taking these molecules is accompanied not only by dependence, but also by a series of unpleasant side effects: sexual dysfunction, dryness of the mucous membranes, loss or increase of appetite, drowsiness, etc.

Fortunately, as usual, nature offers us thousands of natural solutions to counter fatigue problems, depressive states and (re)find restful nights and energy.

This is how we can think of the following plants:

• Nardostachys jatamansi (Indian Spikenard), an Indian plant used in Ayurvedic medicine for a very long time. It helps to find mental rest and calmness, which means that it promotes good sleep because of its powerful relaxing effect. It improves intellectual capacities and thanks to the stimulation of the synthesis of serotonin, it contributes to help the memory and to fight against the depression.
• Rhodiola Rosea (Rhodiola), a perennial plant of the crassulaceae family that grows in cold regions (Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland and the Arctic). Traditionally known to increase stamina, longevity, sexual vigor and cognitive abilities, it is one of the main adaptogenic plants. It allows the body to regain its ability to adapt and resist to various stresses. Studies have shown that it improves depressive states and chronic fatigue.
• Valerian repens (valerian officinalis) decreases agitation, reduces the time to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep by providing a truly restful sleep. Scientifically, it has proven to be as effective as some sleeping pills while causing no dependency or side effects.
• Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower), is one of the best known calming plants. It proves invaluable in the event of night-time awakenings or sleep disorders, the quality of which it restores. By reducing the impact of the stress of modern life and worries coupled with Escholtzia (California poppy), other adaptogenic plants, for example, it will help to find peaceful and beneficial nights.
• Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) contains hypericin, an active ingredient with antidepressant and soporific effects. By regulating the emission of neurotransmitters, St. John's Wort is the ideal restorer of the nervous system. In nearly 75% of cases, this natural remedy will make it possible to avoid having recourse to chemical principles during a state of depression or intense fatigue.

This is only a small panel of natural solutions that are extremely vast.