There's a question I wish more people would ask when they start working with herbs: How do I know if this is actually working?
Most of us approach herbs the way we approach medication—take it, hope for the best, and assume something good is happening inside even if we can't feel it. We take ashwagandha for stress for weeks, and when someone asks how it's going, we pause. "I think it's helping? Maybe? I'm not sure."
Here's what I've learned: The herbs are always communicating. The question is whether you're listening.
The Missing Skill in Herbalism
We spend time learning about herbs—their properties, uses, applications. But there's a skill we rarely teach: interoception—the ability to sense and interpret what's happening inside your body.
Interoception is your body's internal awareness system. It's how you know you're hungry, tired, tense, or calm. And when it comes to herbalism, it's your feedback loop. Without it, you're flying blind.
Why Most People Can't Feel Their Herbs Working
You don't know your baseline. If you don't know what stress feels like in your body—where you hold it, how it manifests—you won't notice when it softens.
You're expecting pharmaceutical speed. Herbs work subtly and cumulatively. They're gentle shifts, not dramatic transformations. If you're waiting for an obvious change, you'll miss the whisper.
Your nervous system is too loud. When you're running on stress hormones all day, your interoceptive awareness naturally dampens. The people who most need herbs are often the least equipped to notice them working.
How to Start Listening
Before You Start: Establish Your Baseline
Spend three days mapping your body. Set a timer three times a day and notice:
- Energy levels and where you feel them
- Digestion—any gurgling, bloating, tightness?
- Tension—jaw, shoulders, gut, chest?
- Breathing—deep, shallow, easy, tight?
- Mood and where you feel it physically
Write it down. You won't remember otherwise.
When You Take the Herb: Be Present
Pause for 30 seconds. Taste it. Notice where you feel it first. What's your immediate response?
Check In: 20 Minutes and 2 Hours Later
Has anything shifted? Energy, tension, mood, breathing? Where do you feel it?
Track for Two Weeks
Write brief daily notes. By day 14, go back and read day 1. That's where you'll see the shift you missed in real time.
What This Changes
When you bring interoceptive awareness to your herbal practice, you notice effects you would have missed. You learn your body's language. You can adjust in real time. You catch problems early. You build trust.
Most importantly: herbalism stops being guesswork and becomes a conversation.
Want to Go Deeper?
I write extensively about interoception, body awareness, and herbalism over at my Substack, The Self-Taught Herbalist. If you want to dive deeper into this practice, I've created a full series on building interoceptive awareness for working with herbs—including detailed tracking methods, real-world examples, and how to troubleshoot when herbs don't seem to be working.
Subscribe here: The Self-Taught Herbalist on Substack
Start Your Practice
Ready to begin? I've created a 2-Week Herbal Tracking Journal to guide you through establishing your baseline and learning to notice the subtle ways herbs affect you.
If you're looking for a gentle starting place, our Rest & Repose essential oil blend is an excellent addition to your diffuser—it works subtly but noticeably, perfect for learning to hear those whispers.
The plants are whispering. Your body is whispering. Are you listening?
What herb are you most curious to track this way? Share in the comments below.