Are there any herbal remedies for anxiety?

Answer 1

Hi KimGirl

Here you go.

Cause
Anxiety disorders occur in people of all ages, but appear to be more common among women. The occurrence of an anxiety or panic attack is often unpredictable, but it may be associated with certain situations such as driving a car. The exact cause is complex, involving constitutional factors, emotional stress, biochemical imbalances, and environmental triggers. In women, hormone imbalances can cause anxiety. Therefore, hormone assessment is essential. Amino and fatty acid imbalances can also play an important role in triggering anxiety attacks.


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Natural Cures

Diet: Assess your diet to reduce excessive consumption of stressor foods such as refined sugars, honey, maple syrup, or cow`s milk products. Consume vegetable soups, broths, and a wide variety of green and yellow vegetables. Add more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts.

Flower Essences: Flower essences can prove very helpful in managing and helping to eliminate anxiety. Use Aspen for apprehension, foreboding, and fear of unknown origin while Mimulus is for fear of known things, shyness, and timidity. Red chestnut is used for excessive anxiety and over caring for others. Rescue Remedy® (combination formula) is for general stress from anxiety, and Rock Rose is helpful for coping with terror and panic from known fear.

Herbs: Panax ginseng has a tonic effect on the adrenal glands, improving blood flow to the brain and reducing the stress associated with mental/emotional issues. Valerian root, an herbal tranquilizer and muscle relaxant, is another good agent for calming the nervous system. It helps balance mood swings and is not habit forming. Valerian-hops combination formulas are good daytime sedatives because they don`t interfere with reflex actions. Passionflower is another mild sedative that helps reduce anxiety, high blood pressure, nervous tension, and muscle tension, and encourages deep, restful sleep. St. John's wort, a highly popular remedy for depression, has proven effective for anxiety and mood swings as well.

Homeopathy: Aconite, Actaea rac., Drosera, Calc carb., and Sulfur are all useful homeopathic remedies for dealing with anxiety.

Hypnotherapy: Self-hypnosis helps to impart to the mind imagery designed to bring about deep levels of relaxation.

Meditation: Develops the mind`s ability to stop anxiety at its source.

Nutritional Supplementation: The following supplements have all been shown to help reduce feelings of anxiety by calming the nervous system: calcium, magnesium, vitamin B complex, 5-HTP, pantothenic acid, and adrenal and kidney glandulars. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an amino acid, can also affect mood by increasing levels of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin (a mood regulator).

Alternative Professional Care
If your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional. The following professional care therapies have all been shown to be useful for treating and relieving the symptoms of anxiety: Acupressure, Biofeedback Training, Bodywork (especially Massage Therapy), Environmental Medicine, Guided Imagery, Hypnotherapy, Magnetic Field Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Orthomolecular Medicine (for a self-care approach, we recommend the book The Mood Cure by Julia Ross), Qigong, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Yoga.

Best of health to you

Answer 2

Chamomile and kava kava are supposed to be good for anxiety. St. John's Wort is a mood elevator and really isn't for anxiety so much as depression. Valerian might be good, but get a capsule because making tea from it smells like poo and tastes worse (probably, I've never tasted poo). Kava kava capsules can be tough on the stomach, it's like a pepper and doesn't agree with some people.

I like chamomile tea in a lavender bath with low light. No doctor would ever say that was harmful (with the other herbs, you should probably be careful if you have any health problems or are already on meds). Also, you could check out THE RELAXATION RESPONSE by Herbert Benson (it's a simple, strong meditation technique). Make sure you use REAL lavender, not a perfume substitute. Read the ingredients.

Herbal remedies aren't "magic bullets" the way drugs try to be. They can certainly help, but if you're having anxiety, the best thing is to evaluate your life and make a holistic change. Use the herbs, sure, but do other things too. Exercise, eat better, sleep more appropriately, maybe see a counselor, evaluate your work and if it is making you too stressed try to make a change.

Answer 3

Check out the Bach Flower remedies or the Californian Flower Essence Remedies, not herbal but very effective and natural.There are of course Herbal remedies but the best remedy is to seek out the cause and deal with that

Answer 4

There are nervine herbs that help to relax your body but anxiety is more a problem with thoughts then physical. Look into flower essences. They deal with emotional issues. Find a book that refers to specifically flower remedies for anxiety. It doesn't take much to get results. Next find out what is causing the anxiety and resolve the issue. The flower essences will help as a temporary relief but it does wear off.

Answer 5

This is going to sound really silly, but nothing calms me when I'm oober stressed like Natural Brew root beer (doesn't have caffine). I guess it's mix of spices in it and the fact that it raises my blood sugar. That's another thing, when I realize that I'm irrationally stressed, it's usually because I'm hungry, so don't skip meals. It's also good to always keep some jello (the real stuff, not w/ splenda) or even a jolly rancher, something relatively low cal, around for when I get cranky. By the way, you can get green tea without caffine.

Answer 6

I suggest the following you can select according to your convenience.Bach flower remedies are absolutely based on mental attitudes and emotions. If you could draw the basic emotional picture of your mind you can select the medicine.for example

agrimony - mental or physical torture
mimulus - fear from known origin
redchestnut - anxiety concealed from others, over causiousness.

there are still lot of medicines......

homeopathically you can use ....avenasativa in mother tincture form 10 drops 2 times a day in a cup of water will take care of anxiety.....you can contact by e mail....

Answer 7

I am single mum. I have been suffering for panic attacks for some 15 years now, though it was not until recently I understood what they were. They were progressively getting stronger and more frequent, stopping me from some days even leaving my house. I read this book and it all made perfect sense.

I am not saying I was not terrified of putting theory to action, I was more scared of that than the next attack! But I decided to view it as a game, one I had control of and could therefore not lose!

Answer 8

Valerian or valierian root is good but can make you a little sleepy - I use it only before bed. the Bach Flower remedies are good because they seem to get at the root of the issue and are more targeted to specific types of anxiety.

hang in there ; )

Answer 9

One of the best treatments for anxiety is organic lithium. You can find at any health food store. It is totally safe and will definately help with anxiety. You will need to take 45mg everyday during anxious periods ( and we all have them!) or you can use the same amount as a daily treatment for control of symptoms.

Answer 10

In the chemist you can buy rescue reemedy or kalms. Lavender , rosemary and camomile are also recommended as is st johns wort. Try buying some of these as essential oils and burning them - aromotheropy or even by just adding a few drops to bathwater before you go to bed