The “healing economy” refers to a new wave of consumer comfort that is being created as a result of the increasing anxiety of today’s consumers under the pressure of work, family responsibilities, finances, the economic situation, and the health of their families.
According to data, 76.2% of consumers feel anxious. As a result, the ‘healing economy’ of ‘massage’ for the soul has begun to become an indispensable form of existence in modern cities, with a range of products that are designed to relieve human emotions, relax consumers and meet their needs for relief. The healing economy is becoming more and more diversified, such as stress-relieving consumption such as tea-tasting and yoga; health-care consumption such as food therapy and aromatherapy; solitary consumption such as one-person restaurants and capsule hotels; and the pet economy such as cat-jerking and dog-jerking. …… These have all become important forms of the “healing economy”.
With so many ways to heal people’s moods, diet is undoubtedly one of the most accepted means, and mood foods with added functional ingredients are becoming an important vehicle for releasing stress and emotions, with a huge market.
Publicly available information shows that mental health problems already afflict at least 350 million people worldwide, and this is just one aspect of the problem. Emotional problems are often accompanied by sleep disorders, with emotional problems such as stress, anxiety, and emotional instability all leading to sleep disorders.
In terms of product segmentation, in addition to pharmaceuticals and health food products, emotional foods are now commonly found in snack products such as beverages and sweet treats. As “sub-health” due to stress and other issues continues to grow globally, the addition of stress-relieving ingredients to ordinary food products such as beverages and sweet treats will continue to be popular.
In terms of ingredients, mood foods can be divided into pharmaceuticals, amino acids, and natural herbs. Drugs, such as benzodiazepines, play a huge role in clinical practice as commonly used sedative, anti-anxiety, and hypnotic drugs, but these drugs have a long half-life and their drug concentrations remain until the next day, affecting energy the next day. Long-term use of these drugs can lead to resistance and addiction, and they have certain side effects. Amino acids include GABA and L-theanine, both of which have been scientifically proven to relieve tension, combat anxiety, and reduce stress and sleep. Natural herbs refer to plants that calm the mind and regulate the balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in the central nervous system. The use of mood herbs dates back at least 5000 years and valerian is one of the most common medicinal plants.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) is a hardy, flowering, perennial herb of the family Valerianaceae, up to 120 cm tall; rhizomes are stout and short and capitate, stems are hollow, cauline leaves are ovate to broadly ovate, corymbs are terminal, corollas are light purplish red or white, filaments are flattened, and flowering and fruiting occur from July to September.
Valerian is native to parts of Asia and Europe and is cultivated in North America. Its stems and leaves are used as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths). The rhizomes and roots of Valerian are used medicinally as an antispasmodic and anti-spasmodic for bruises and injuries. It is also used as a dietary supplement. Valerian is softened, ground and dehydrated into convenient packagings, such as capsules, for its sedative and anti-anxiety properties. valerian was used to make spices in the 16th century.
(1) Improves the quality of sleep: Valerian extract acts on the body’s natural hormonal cycle, helping to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, improve sleep, make it deep and wake up refreshed. It is particularly suitable for chronic insomnia.
(2) Calming and tranquilizing: Valerian has a calming effect on the central nervous system, settling the nerves in times of agitation and helping to restore the spirit in times of fatigue. Try supplementing with valerian extract or valerian tea in cases of nervous exhaustion, and restlessness that prevents sleep or headaches.
(3) Protects the digestive system and the heart: Valerian epoxide triglyceride, which is found in the root of valerian, helps to relieve cramps and pain and helps to relieve nervous indigestion, stomach cramps, or enteritis. It also has cardioprotective and blood pressure-lowering properties.
(4) Antibacterial: The total alkaloids in valerian have antibacterial properties, particularly against infections caused by gram-positive bacteria.
