IBS is categorized as a “functional disorder,” which means that while everything may feel wrong inside, nothing looks especially wrong on colonoscopies or in blood tests. This can make people feel crazy—and especially women, who IBS disproportionately impacts, and who are routinely made to feel that they’re crazy anyway.

You can feel it in the lower part of your belly, beneath your belly button, and it makes you double over. Or you might experience it higher up, under your rib cage, and it’s hard to take a deep breath. People describe it as sharp, pointy, stabby. Some call it stomach cramps. Often, it’s from trapped gas. My go-to herb to relieve these symptoms is catnip.

Balm is the key word in lemon balm. It soothes anxiety, calms digestive upset, and lifts the spirit. Which is not surprising, because Its unique package of phytochemicals works at the intersection of the gut, nervous and immune system.