5 Best Herbal Remedies for Anxiety
It’s not an uncommon thing for
you to hear that people suffer from anxiety. In fact, the chances are that you
know someone who suffers from it. But do you really know what it is? Anxiety is
considered an uneasy feeling that is accompanied by both concern and worry,
most of the time about some upcoming situation or event. Many of these
instances are also filled with great uncertainty as well.
Now the upcoming events don’t
have to be a big thing. People with anxiety can start having symptoms from a
wide range of events that range from studying for a test to visiting a new
place. Anything can bring on the anxiety if you have it.
If you have an anxiety disorder,
then you know firsthand that it can persist, even in your everyday life. You
can start feeling anxious to such an extent that it can even start to affect
your relationships, overall wellbeing, and even your work.
Similar to most other disorders,
there are several different types of anxiety. These may include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Generalized anxiety
- Panic disorder
Each of these different types of anxiety also has their own debilitating symptoms that are slightly different from the other types. Since there are so many different types of anxiety, it is a very common disorder that affects almost one-third of adults at one point or another in their life. If you do have a form of anxiety, don’t worry, you have nothing to worry about.
So, you have one form or another
of anxiety. There are several herbal remedies for anxiety that you can take to
help alleviate your symptoms. These herbal remedies have been studied
specifically to treat anxiety, so has been extensive research done on each of
them. Remember to always do your own research before you decide to try any new
herbal supplement or remedy to treat any of your symptoms.
Passion Flower
Clinical trials have shown that
passion flower may be able to help with anxiety. Since passion flower is
usually mixed with other herbs in most commercial products and supplements, it
is difficult to distinguish the particular qualities of the herb. As long as
you take it as directed, passion flower is considered to be safe, but there
have been studies that have found that it can also cause dizziness, confusion,
and drowsiness as well.
Kava
While initial studies were very
promising and showed great benefits to help treat anxiety, later reports
claimed that kava had the potential to cause serious damage to the liver. These
reports, while they have been questioned, have caused the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to put out warnings about dietary supplements that contain
kava. If you do decide to try kava to help with your anxiety, be sure to use
caution and get your doctor involved to monitor any side effects.
Valerian
Studies have shown that Valerian
users reported a lower amount of stress and anxiety than those who did not use
it. Valerian is also considered to be safe if you follow the guidelines on how
much to take. It can, however, cause some minor side effects such as dizziness,
drowsiness, and headaches.
Lavender
You may already know that
lavender is popular in aromatherapy, but it is also popular as an oral
supplement as well. This is because lavender will help you to reduce your
anxiety. While the evidence about this is somewhat limited, side effects of
taking oral lavender have been known to include headaches and constipation. On
top of that, it can also increase your appetite as well.
Marijuana
Marijuana for the treatment of
anxiety is one of the most common reasons that people use it. This is because
studies have shown that there is evidence that marijuana can be extremely
effective for treating anxiety disorders, no matter what the type.
In fact, using cannabis to treat
anxiety was first recorded in the year 1563. Garcia de Orta, a Portuguese
physician, stated that it would remove all anxiety sufferers from all of their
cares and worries. He described that marijuana would help you to calm and relax
you, as well as even put you in a hypnotic state.
As if being used to treat anxiety
for almost 500 years wasn’t enough, long-term users of marijuana have also
reported that they have noticed reduced levels of anxiety while increasing
stress relief and relaxation as some of the main benefits. Aside from all of this evidence,
studies have also been done to confirm what many throughout the years have
claimed.
In 2014, a study from Vanderbilt
University discovered that regularly smoking marijuana can potentially increase
a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that is known as endocannabinoids.
This is good for you as these endocannabinoids become reduced during times of
extra stress. While this is not definitively proven, researchers have a theory
that this reduction in endocannabinoids is one of the major causes of anxiety.
Finally, marijuana is not only
safer and more effective in treating anxiety than traditional anxiety
medicines, but it can also help you get off of any prescribed anxiety
medicines, most of which normally have some extreme side effects like dizziness,
internal bleeding, and even rectal bleeding.
When you are looking for the best
herbal remedies for anxiety, remember that herbal supplements are not regulated
or monitored by the FDA. This means that some company’s quality may be a little
lower than what is led to believe.
If you are thinking about
starting an herbal remedy to help treat your anxiety, be sure to speak with
your doctor prior to starting. While there are many different herbal remedies
available to help you treat your anxiety, you should always be sure to do your
research on them before testing them out. This way you’ll be safe and will
limit any potentially hazardous side effects that may be caused by your new herbal remedies for anxiety.
This article is originally
published on SundayScaries.