"Treating Anhedonia and Deficient Adrenergic Tone"

Presenter: Jillian Stansbury, ND
Original Date: July 26, 2025

While most patients with anxiety, stress, and situational mental health issues respond readily to herbal and lifestyle support, those individuals with life-long “melancholy” states can be a real challenge to shift. Research suggests that such individuals may have low adrenergic tone that may be compounded by oxidative stress and general inflammatory states that extend to the central nervous system. This session will look at supporting metabolic efficiency and reducing oxidative stress in the brain, and offer possible pharmaceutical options, and of course a deeper dive into specific botanical medicines to help shift an adrenergic insufficiency and a melancholic constitution.

Bio: Dr Jillian Stansbury founded Battle Ground Healing Arts in 1989 and recently retired after 35 years in practice. During that time, she also managed the Healing Arts Apothecary, open to the public and serving as a community resource hub, and served on the Faculty of NUNM teaching the core Botanical Medicines curricula. She received the Order of the University in 2019 and was the recipient of the Vis Award from the AANP in 2023. She is the author of 7 botanical books including her award-winning 5 volume textbook services Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, a 2020 recipient of the James Duke Botanical Excellence award from the American Botanical Council. She has studied ethnobotany around the world and leads an annual field course in Peru each January to introduce fellow plant nerds to the rich plant cultures of the Andes and Amazon. Since her retirement at the end of 2024 she has had more time for gardening, music, and art.

NUNM is accredited by the North American Naturopathic Continuing Education Council (NANCEAC). This activity qualifies for 1.0 General, 0.5 Pharmacology (1.5 CEUs Total).