Botanical Allies for Skin & Nervous System Healing

By Claudia Barton, BCBA, LBA, CTP

When I create products, I don’t just see ingredients — I see plants as partners. Each botanical in Luna & Lavender™ has its own history, energy, and healing qualities. Below, I’ll walk you through the herbs and powders I work with, explaining both their physical benefits and the emotional support they offer.

Arnica

Arnica is famous for helping with bruises, sprains, and sore muscles. It eases pain and swelling while supporting the body’s natural repair process. Beyond the physical, arnica teaches us resilience — that we can recover from impact and return stronger. When infused into a balm, it becomes a daily comforter for tired joints and overworked muscles.

Calendula

Calendula, the bright golden flower, is known as nature’s skin soother. It calms rashes, redness, and irritation while helping wounds close gently. In folk medicine, it’s considered a flower of joy and protection. Using calendula feels like wrapping your skin in sunlight, a reminder of warmth and safety.

Nettle Leaf

Nettle is nutrient-rich, filled with minerals like iron, calcium, and silica. It strengthens hair and skin from the inside out and has a long history as a “restorative tonic.” Energetically, nettle teaches boundaries — its sting demands respect, yet when prepared, it nourishes deeply. On the skin, it brings both vitality and protection.

Yarrow Flowers

Yarrow has been a wound healer since ancient times, used by warriors to stop bleeding and close cuts. Today, it supports circulation, reduces inflammation, and protects the skin barrier. Spiritually, it’s thought to shield energy and create balance. When included in skincare, it brings both strength and gentle restoration.

Dandelion

Often overlooked as a “weed,” dandelion is a powerful detoxifier. It supports the liver and helps clear toxins from the skin, which can reduce breakouts and dullness. Symbolically, dandelion embodies resilience and hope — pushing through concrete to bloom. On your skin, it whispers: you are stronger than your environment.

Lemon Balm

Nicknamed the “gladdening herb,” lemon balm helps calm anxious energy, uplift mood, and soothe skin irritations. Applied topically, it comforts conditions like cold sores and eczema. Emotionally, it’s a balm for the heart, encouraging peace when life feels overwhelming. It’s a reminder that small, daily rituals can shift our nervous system into calm.

Licorice Root

Licorice root brightens the skin, reduces redness, and is especially loved for fading dark spots. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory, making it gentle for sensitive skin. Spiritually, it carries a sweetness — balancing harshness and helping us soften. Using licorice feels like adding grace and compassion to your skincare.

Comfrey Root

Comfrey is called “knitbone” for its ability to accelerate healing. It helps regenerate tissues, making it ideal for burns, scrapes, and cracked skin. Emotionally, comfrey reassures us that repair is possible, even after deep wounds. In skincare, it restores confidence to damaged skin, supporting the process of becoming whole again.

Valerian

Valerian root is one of nature’s strongest nervines, helping with anxiety, restlessness, and sleeplessness. Applied to the skin, it calms irritation and creates a sense of deep grounding. Valerian carries the wisdom of night — encouraging release, rest, and renewal. It’s like a lullaby in plant form.

Passion Flower

Passion flower is striking in appearance and powerful in action. It quiets racing thoughts, lowers stress, and creates emotional spaciousness. In skincare, it provides antioxidants that protect against stress-related damage. Passion flower reminds us to pause, breathe, and let go of the noise around us.

Rosemary

Rosemary is stimulating, clarifying, and energizing. It increases circulation, encourages hair growth, and helps clear congestion in the skin. It’s long associated with memory and focus, making it a herb of clarity. Using rosemary in wellness rituals feels like a reset button — invigorating yet grounding.

Lavender Buds

Lavender is the universal healer, calming the mind and soothing the skin. It reduces stress, supports sleep, and comforts irritation. Its fragrance alone signals safety and rest. Lavender whispers: slow down, breathe, you are cared for. That’s why it has a central place in nearly all calming blends.

Chamomile

Chamomile is like a gentle hug in a cup of tea. On the skin, it reduces redness, irritation, and sensitivity. Internally and emotionally, it eases tension, fussiness, and overwhelm. Chamomile teaches us that healing doesn’t always have to be strong or dramatic — sometimes it’s the gentleness that restores balance.

Marshmallow Root

Marshmallow root is rich in soothing mucilage, which hydrates and softens the skin. It’s especially helpful for dryness, eczema, and irritation. Symbolically, marshmallow reminds us of gentleness and nourishment — of providing moisture where life feels parched. It’s like a cool drink of water for your skin.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus, known as the “botox plant,” firms, tones, and infuses skin with antioxidants. Its vibrant red petals symbolize passion and vitality. It reminds us that beauty can be bold and alive. When used in skincare, hibiscus restores radiance and awakens both skin and spirit.

Plantain Leaf

Plantain is a classic first-aid herb. It draws out impurities, soothes bites, and supports natural detoxification. It’s often found underfoot, reminding us that healing can be simple and accessible. In skincare, it helps troubled skin return to balance.

Elderflower

Elderflower brightens, softens, and supports immunity. Traditionally used in tonics, it carries the energy of a grandmother — protective, nurturing, and wise. On the skin, it encourages renewal and brings a delicate glow.

Gotu Kola

Gotu kola is revered in Ayurveda as a herb of longevity and wisdom. It stimulates collagen, repairs connective tissue, and soothes the mind. Energetically, it’s a bridge between body and spirit, helping you feel both grounded and uplifted. In skincare, it is a trusted ally for firm, resilient skin.

Oat Straw

Oat straw strengthens the nervous system, helping with stress, fatigue, and burnout. Applied to skin, oats calm irritation, dryness, and itchiness. Symbolically, oats are nourishment and comfort — simple yet profound. They remind us that everyday care builds resilience.

Skullcap

Skullcap is a powerful nervine that releases nervous tension and supports deep rest. It quiets mental chatter and promotes emotional resilience. In wellness products, skullcap helps create space for restoration and inner peace.

Willow Bark

Willow bark, the natural source of salicylic acid, clears pores, reduces acne, and calms pain. It’s gentle on the skin yet highly effective. Symbolically, willow represents flexibility and resilience — bending without breaking. It reminds us to release what no longer serves us.

Red Clover Blossoms

Red clover supports hormonal balance, detoxification, and clear skin. Energetically, it is soft and nurturing, offering balance during transitions. It reminds us that cycles — whether hormonal or emotional — are natural and can be supported with care.

Rose Petal Powder

Rose is the essence of tenderness. It hydrates, calms, and uplifts mood, carrying the vibration of unconditional love. Rose teaches us to soften — with ourselves, with others, with our skin. Each application feels like a love note to your body.

Tepezcohuite

Known as the “skin tree” in Mexico, tepezcohuite regenerates tissues, stimulates collagen, and helps with burns, scars, and wounds. It’s a plant of profound repair and renewal. Using tepezcohuite is like telling your skin: you can heal, you can renew, you can thrive.

Matcha Powder

Matcha delivers powerful antioxidants, protecting against environmental damage while calming inflammation. It brightens the skin and energizes the spirit. Drinking or applying matcha reminds us of mindful rituals — slowing down and savoring the present.

Ashwagandha Powder

Ashwagandha is a stress-relieving adaptogen that restores balance to the body and mind. On the skin, it reduces signs of stress and fatigue. Energetically, it builds resilience and inner strength. It is a grounding herb for those who carry too much.

Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is sunshine in powdered form. It reduces inflammation, fades dark spots, and uplifts mood. Spiritually, it brings protection and clarity. When applied, turmeric encourages both brightness in complexion and brightness in spirit.

Cornflower

Cornflower soothes irritated skin and reduces puffiness, especially around the eyes. Its brilliant blue petals symbolize clarity and calm. Using cornflower feels like a cool breeze on a stressful day — refreshing and restorative.

Cramp Bark

Cramp bark is traditionally used to release muscle tension and ease pain. Emotionally, it encourages release — of stress, of resistance, of what we hold too tightly. It helps the body remember what it means to relax.

Ginger

Ginger is warming, stimulating, and invigorating. It boosts circulation, clears stagnation, and awakens the senses. Energetically, ginger ignites passion and willpower. In skincare, it brings warmth and glow, reminding the body to move and flow.

Butterfly Pea Flower

Butterfly pea flower is rich in antioxidants and promotes collagen while giving a stunning blue hue to products. It symbolizes creativity and transformation. On the skin, it brings renewal; in spirit, it sparks wonder.

Behavioral Wellness Meets Herbal Skincare

Every herb I choose has a role in both skin repair and nervous system healing. When you apply these botanicals in a balm, soak, or oil, you’re not just nourishing your skin — you’re teaching your body safety, regulation, and renewal.

✨ Rituals with plants remind us: healing is possible, one small step at a time.

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The Science Behind Health & Wellness

Why behavior matters. Why healing is possible. Why small steps work.

When we think of health and wellness, we often think of the body — nutrition, sleep, hydration, movement. But at the core of every lasting change is something deeper: behavior.

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Certified Trauma Professional (CTP), I view health and wellness through a scientific and compassionate lens. I don’t just ask what someone is doing — I ask why.

That’s where the real healing starts.

Why Behavior Matters in Wellness

Every time you choose to care for yourself — by applying a salve, setting down your phone, or pausing to breathe — you’re engaging in a behavior. These actions might seem small, but over time, they shape patterns. Patterns become habits. Habits become a lifestyle.

Behavior analysis teaches us that change doesn’t happen all at once — it happens one moment at a time, with reinforcement, consistency, and care.

The Nervous System & Trauma-Informed Support

For many of us, especially those with trauma histories, even the simplest self-care routines can feel overwhelming or unfamiliar. That’s why trauma-informed care matters. It reminds us that healing isn’t just about doing more — it’s about feeling safe enough to begin.

Behavioral wellness honors the body’s signals, works with the nervous system, and builds safety through predictable, gentle routines. When we approach wellness with compassion and structure, we help the body and mind slowly unlearn survival and relearn connection.

The Foundation of Behavior-Based Wellness

In behavior science, we use tools like:

  • Reinforcement to encourage healthy habits (rewarding what we want to see more of)
  • Prompting and shaping to help build routines gradually
  • Environmental design to make wellness easier and more accessible
  • Data and reflection to track what’s working — and why

These aren’t just clinical strategies. They can show up in your daily life as:

  • A lavender roller next to your bed to signal rest
  • A gentle balm you use after brushing your teeth to mark the end of your day
  • A sensory spray that helps your child transition more smoothly
  • A mantra you whisper each morning as a private moment of grounding

Why This Matters

Because true wellness isn't about extremes.
It’s about repeatable, nourishing actions that help you feel more like yourself.

And the science is clear: when we build wellness routines around behavior, not pressure, we make healing more accessible — for children, for parents, for everyone.

This is the foundation of my work and the intention behind every product I create. I want to help you feel safe in your routines, confident in your care, and connected to the deeper why behind the choices you make.

Mini Mantra:

“Small acts. Safe patterns. Lasting change.”

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