Best Herbs for Anxiety

Best Herbs for Anxiety

Are you or a loved one an anxious person? Have you ever been told to simply “calm down” when you have been in the middle of a panic attack? If so, you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe suffer from anxiety.

Suffering is the right term to use when talking about anxiety because most people don’t choose to be anxious. Having anxiety disorder or panic attacks can wreak havoc on an individual’s lifestyle. There are so many components that fall into this issue.

Luckily, there exist also many natural remedies for anxiety, so you can pick the ones that appeal to you most. For example, herbal remedies are an effective yet a gentle way to treat anxiety. In this post, I’m going to present the best herbs for anxiety and tell why herbs are among the best natural anxiety remedies.

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Why is Dealing with Anxiety so Important Today?

For many years, it was thought that anxiety was “all in your head.” In other words, it was something you needed to deal with and get over on your own, and anxiety wasn’t any real cause for concern.

Today, however, we know differently. We know that anxiety can cause a whole host of physical illnesses and impede with a healthy lifestyle.

For one thing, your immune system can be impacted by stress, depression, and anxiety. When you get overwhelmingly anxious, your body goes into flight or fight mode. All of your defenses act up and go into overdrive. As your immune system gears up for overtime, your body weakens and so does your immune system. You are now more prone to and susceptible to illness and disease.

During seasons that are high in outbreaks of cold and flu, stress, depression, and anxiety can make the difference between catching a serious cold or getting a nasty flu. You want to do all you can to keep anxiety at bay long before you get sick. This way, not only will you avoid things like colds and flu, but if you do, unfortunately, get them you can ward them off in less time.

Anxiety can cause insomnia as well. While insomnia may not sound like the worst thing in the world, it can wreak havoc in your daily life. Having nightmares and waking up several times a night can really do harm in the long run. You simply cannot function without proper sleep. Your immune system does not get the refuel and recharge it needs when it comes to fighting off disease and keeping illness at bay.

That’s why it’s best to start using herbal remedies or other natural remedies for anxiety before you get run down, sick or over-stressed. Not only can herbal remedies help calm you down when you are anxious, they can help alleviate the anxiety before it comes your way. This is crucial. Warding off anxiety before time, makes the difference between being healthy and being unwell.

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Best Herbs for Anxiety

Life has its peaks and valleys for everyone. There are times when you can handle most of it and other times, you find yourself stressing way too much. For those with anxiety, however, the littlest things can set them off. What may be a smaller issue for some can be a huge catastrophe for others.

More often than not, prescription drugs are given out in order to help people cope with their anxious moments. Sometimes, unfortunately, people are given these drugs and they become used to them. They don’t know how to cope with anxiety without them.

There are other ways, though, to cope with anxiety and herbal remedies for anxiety have been around for centuries. There are many safe herbal remedies that can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety from supplements to tasty and delicious teas. Let’s take a look of some of the best herbs for anxiety:

Chamomile

If you are experiencing anxiety or feeling jittery about something, reach for a soothing cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile, also known as matricaria recutita helps the brain to associate with calm instead of anxiety. You can also take chamomile in a supplement form. Not only does chamomile help promote relaxation, it also has another bonus. Chamomile helps to promote sleep in a relaxing and non-prescription way.

Hundreds of thousands of people each year become addicted to prescription and over the counter sleep aids. With chamomile, you don’t have to worry. A good night’s rest is only a tasty cup of tea away.

If you want to enjoy the real authentic impact and taste of chamomile as a tea, you can put a few tablespoons of dried chamomile into hot boiling water and steep for several minutes for a relaxing, shooting cup of tea. You’ll feel relaxed and at ease and off to a good night’s sleep in no time.

Studies have shown that people who take or drink chamomile on a regular basis over time have decreased experiences with anxiety compared with those who didn’t include some form of chamomile in their diets and routines.

Green Tea

Green tea has been around for a long time. Green tea with some stevia and you have got yourself the makings of the best herbal remedy for anxiety around. Why is that? Well, green tea contains L-theanine and L-theanine is an amino acid known to calm the nerves and soothe the mind, most especially. Stevia is a natural sweetener which doesn’t make your blood sugar spike.

Some studies have shown that drinking green tea can reduce anxiety when people drank four cups per day. Those who drank less than one cup per day showed to be more anxious. In addition, drinking four to five cups of green tea per day could increase your mood by up to 20 percent.

L-theanine can help your heart to slow down a bit and keep your blood pressure at a healthier rate. The more you drink of it, the more you will feel the impacts and calming effect of the L-theanine at work in your anxious moments.

Iberogast

While it might be hard to pronounce it’s easy to use. Going back to the theory that your mental health may start in your gut; cleaning up your act in your stomach might aid in how anxious you are. Add a couple of drops into your tea or water for relief from upset stomach issues and from anxiety.

It’s made from a mix of herbs and plants and is sugar free, yeast free and gluten free; exactly what your upset tummy and upset mind may need. Anxiety may be a mental disorder, but it wreaks havoc on your physical body too. Anxiety is very often found in the stomach in the form of gastritis or upset stomach.

So many people have stomach bloating, gas, even ulcers because of stress and anxiety. Together with a right diet, iberogast is perfect to ease anxiety and tackle the stomach issues that come along with it.

Lavender Essential Oils

While not an herbal remedy that you can ingest, lavender oil has been shown to reduce anxiety and promote good sleep. Studies show that when people get the right amount of rest during their sleep, their anxiety levels decrease substantially. Eating the right foods, exercising, and getting the proper amount and type of sleep are all important ways to gain the right amount of balance in your life. When your life is balanced, your anxiety is lessened.

Lavender essential oils promote a feeling of calm and serenity. You can put a few drops in your bath oil or drop some into some hot water and inhale the scent. A massage with lavender oil is said to have an extreme calming effect.

The wonderful thing about lavender is that it smells lovely and can bring about feelings of calm, ease, peace and joy.

Valerian

Drinking green tea or chamomile tea are great ways to reduce stress and anxiety; however, sometimes you are stressed and anxious not because of a particular event or happening but simply because you didn’t get enough sleep. That’s where herbal supplements like valerian come in handy.

Valerian is a beautiful flower native to Europe, but packs a powerful benefit. The healing properties in valerian have a potent and powerful way to treat insomnia. Not only does it address insomnia, it is now being used to address and help ease anxiety.

Valerian might be better tolerated as a capsule since valerian tea is not as tasty as chamomile. Taken before bed it can promote a good night’s sleep naturally without having to worry about taking sleeping pills. When you are well rested, anxiety doesn’t have enough of a chance to wander its way in to your mind.

Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis, also known as lemon balm, has been around since the period of the Middle Ages. Its uses were for the reduction of stress and alleviating of anxiety symptoms. So, even people in the Middle Ages suffered from anxiety and stress; it’s not just a modern ailment.

Lemon balm can also promote better sleep. Some studies even suggest that lemon balm can help with having a more alert and focused mind. You can find it as a tea or in the form of a capsule. Start off with the tea and see if that helps to relieve your symptoms of anxiety.

If you are feeling anxious, these are only a few of the herbal remedies you can try. Of course, each individual has their own needs and you and only you will know which method is right for you and what will work for you. These all natural herbal remedies for anxiety are a great way to experiment with what works for you as an individual.

Of course, getting exercise and drinking plenty of water is essential to keeping healthy in addition to these herbal remedies. Watching what foods you put in your body in addition will reap you so many rewards. You might find going on a sugar-free diet along with taking an omega-3 supplement works for you while someone else may find the lavender oil and chamomile teas as the best benefit. Here are a few more herbal remedies you may want to consider.

Passionflower

Passionflower sounds like something you would use in order to cast a love spell on someone but such is not the case. However, passionflower is used for the treatment of anxiety and shows some promising results. On many occasions, passionflower is mixed with other herbs in order to get the maximum result.

If you are having difficulty falling asleep due to anxiety, passionflower might just do the trick. Most people prefer to take it at night to help them sleep better because it might cause sleepiness.

Ashwagandha

Stress is something we all face, but for some of us we fear it as well. Our reaction to stress may not be as simple, cut and dry as other people’s reactions to it. Stress, anxiety and depression are all interrelated.

For some, anxiety comes when we fear we cannot handle stress and then we get depressed because we create an unrealistic image of ourselves. We tell ourselves that we are “not like everyone else” when it comes to how we handle stress and anxiety. We seek medical treatment to “make us right again” and we are then sent to the world of counseling. Some cases, of course, need this kind of intervention, but there are also other remedies we can try for ourselves to heal

Ashwagandha is an herb that is used in traditional Indian medicine. Ashwagandha is believed to be one of the best anti-stress and anti-anxiety herbs of all. What are the benefits of this herb? Ashwagandha has the capability to boost the brain in a number of ways, as well as supporting the body.

Some of the benefits include an increased mental clarity, better memory, and an overall sense of well-being in one’s life. It has also been shown to enhance cognition in research.

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort is known as an herb whose flowers are used to create a remedy for depression and anxiety among other things. Many people rely on it to minimize anxiety and reduce depression as well as to help them get through dealing with menopause.

St. John’s Wort has been around for centuries. It’s important to note that taking other medications with St. John’s Wort could be dangerous. It’s always advisable to speak with your physician before taking any herbal remedies especially if you are taking prescription drugs.

A little St. John’s wort will help tremendously when you recognize you are ready to jump into the abyss. One small wind and you are blown away by any additional stress. St. John’s Wort is wonderful for giving much needed tender loving care to your nerves, especially when they are on edge. The good news, though, is that St. John’s Wort can help prevent future nervousness as well.

Marjoram

Marjoram, also known as origanum majorana is an herb used to heal many things. When used as an essential oil, leaves or a powder there are many benefits to this herb such as digestive aid, an anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular aid. Marjoram is also wonderful for reducing anxiety, calming stress and minimizing insomnia. Some people prefer to grind and crush the leaves and add hot water to make a marjoram tea which has many soothing effects.

Ylang Ylang

Taken from the cananga tree, ylang ylang is a popular essential oil. Ylang ylang has the possibility to reduce anxiety and decrease stress. Not only does reducing anxiety and decreasing stress have an impact on the mental health of an individual, it also has benefits on their physical health as well. Inhaling this essential oil may have the capacity to keep stress and anxiety at bay.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is known to be the granddaddy of all plants. This might be because its roots reach so extensively down to the earth and bring up vital nutrients and minerals otherwise not found. It also offers a healthy dose of essential vitamins.

What makes alfalfa so good in treating anxiety? Alfalfa is abundant in B vitamins and B vitamins can help ease and relive anxiety. If you are like most people, you don’t get enough B vitamins in your diet and supplementation is something you forget about all together. Many people start out with good intentions when it comes to taking supplements, but in life’s rush, often times forget.

Alfalfa tea is one of the best herbal remedies for anxiety.

Mint

Peppermint tea is something that average folks might wait until the heat of the summer to enjoy as an iced cold beverage. Others might wait until they have the cold or a flu bug before downing some delicious peppermint tea.

However, mint has properties that you can enjoy all year round without waiting for a season or a reason to enjoy.

There are healing properties in mint and used as an herbal tea daily can keep you calm, collected, and cool. Of course, the good news is that herbal peppermint tea tastes so darn delicious too. However, there are benefits for enjoying some mint in your tea.

For starters, there is no caffeine in the deliciousness of peppermint tea so it’s an anti-anxiety treat to begin with. Have you ever seen mint growing rapidly in someone’s garden and thought oh what a nuisance because it’s taken over everything? Well, done get your weed trimmers out just yet. Mint is your friend and the same way it is abundant in your garden, it can be abundant in your life as well.

Mint is delicious in recipes and growing it is easy. What’s so special about mint and how does it help heal anxiety? The scent of mint itself is what makes mint such a powerful anti-anxiety treatment. That minty, menthol fresh scent is what gives mint the power to calm and soothe your nerves.

Just as lavender is a natural and relaxing scent that will calm you down, so is mint. Can’t sleep at night? Try having a cup of peppermint tea before bedtime. You will be surprised at how easily it is to fall asleep and fall into a deep sleep. Mint relaxes your muscles and when your muscles are relaxed, your body can sink into a deeper more restful sleep.

Another added benefit of mint is in its ability to help you focus and concentrate. When you are anxious, you tend to veer off into directions that don’t even exist such as fearful thoughts and worrisome problems. When you sip peppermint tea or inhale its vapors of menthol, you get the benefit of clarity. When you are clear, you are giving your brain less opportunity to worry and fear.

You can either brew a cup of peppermint tea or use it in a dehumidifier or find a nice peppermint essential oil to help ease stress and worries.

Wow, all this from a tiny little peppermint leaf.
 
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Herbal Remedies for Different Anxieties

To label anxiety as one category and one category only is unfair. Anxiety comes in many different shapes, ways, and forms. For some, anxiety only exists around their children while for others it only exists as an occasional fear when faced with riding an elevator. For others, unfortunately, it is a way of everyday life. Anxiety seeps in whenever and wherever it wants.

There are a few herbal remedies that are said to be known to target certain types of anxiety. For example, Bach Flower Remedies is said to ease general anxiety. Decades and decades ago, Dr. Edward Bach discovered a combination of flower remedies that can make the difference between turning a negative into a positive. The positive energies from these flowers has the power and the potential to turn any sad emotion into a positive response. Anxiety, depression, sadness, and sleep disturbances are kept at bay with these herbal treatments.

Aspen Flower

One of those Bach Flower treatments is Aspen flower which is said to ease worries about potential future hazards or dangers. Some people for no explicable reason walk around thinking and having feelings of woe. Aspen flower is known for its inner calming properties. Some people even attest to having feelings of zest as opposed of feelings of dread when using Aspen flower.

Mimulus

The herb known as Mimulus helps to heals past-based anxieties. Mimulus is best used by those who are aware of what their fears are and can name them. For example, someone who is afraid of heights or enclosed spaces might be greatly served by using Mimulus. A bad experience or early trauma can lead to feeling of fear and anxiety. Even feelings of anxious over social situations or settings that are new can be calmed with mimulus.

Elm

Another favorite herb used for anxiety of a general nature is Elm. Elm is a great pick me up when you feel you are juggling too many things at the same time and are about to drop all the balls. Elm works wonders for when you are feeling a bit blue and anxiety wants to take the wheel.

Rock Rose

Need more power? Rock Rose is used for those times when nothing else will do. High levels of anxiety are tamed with Rock Rose. Rock Rose is the more potent of these herbal remedies. When you are feeling frozen in fear, catch seem to breathe because fear has got you in a chokehold, Rock Rose would be your best bet in herbal remedies. Heightened levels of anxiety are soothed and eased with this power of a remedy.

Red Chestnut

Of course, everybody loves, cares for and worries about their family. Some people, unfortunately, worry excessively. They worry so much about others and their safety, it becomes an interference in both their lives and the lives of their significant others. Red Chestnut is the right herbal remedy for these instances.

Sweet Chestnut

Sweet Chestnut is a super power in the herbal remedy family. For those experiencing great amounts of stress with seemingly no way out, Sweet Chestnut may be the necessary herbal treatment. Sweet Chestnut is mostly saved for those experiencing the harshest kinds of unbearable stress and is known to calm the mind and body both undergoing severe amounts of stress.

Cherry Plum

For some anxiety is based on fear. For others, anxiety can take a turn for the worse. You may have a feeling like you are about to lose control. That’s when it might be a good idea to reach for some Cherry Plum.

Cherry Plum helps you when you fear you have been given too much to handle. Cherry Plum has the power and the potency to keep you calm when you are too close to edge or ready to explode.

White Chestnut

Did you ever feel like your mind was the busiest bee around? You feel like you couldn’t possibly put one more thought in there and then all of a sudden, you find something else to worry or fret about. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t believe the argument or conversation or event that took place. Your adrenaline meter is set to high – way too high and you need some help.

Most people replay arguments in their heads over and over again until there is some sort of semblance of resolving the issue. You keep replaying things over and over again in your mind. White Chestnut can help you keep those thoughts at bay and you and them to rest for the night.

Motherwort

Motherwort is another favorite herbal calming remedy. A dozen or so drops and you can feel like your old self again. It’s comforting and can help you to move through your day with ease and comfort.

Rose Essential Oils

Have you ever walked into a spa, hair salon or even a therapist’s office and smelled the delicious and delightful scent of roses? How did that make you feel? Did you get a sudden feeling of joy and happiness? The scent of roses has long been known to ease anxiety. Many women use rose water to tone their skin while many others use rose essential oil on their clothes to keep them calm and soothed all day long.

Are you expecting a rough day at the office? Put a dab on a handkerchief and breathe in its delightful scent all day long as you experience those stressful meetings or presentations. Many public speakers wear a dab of rose oil on their shirt or blouse to enjoy its blossoming fragrance when facing the fear of speaking in front of a live audience.

Rose essential oil is often used as a massage therapy aid for people with high levels of anxiety.

Stinging Nettle

Many people are aware of the fight or flight syndrome our minds undertake when trying to determine whether or not a situation is dangerous or not. The adrenal glands go into over drive and can wreak havoc on the body in many shapes, ways, and forms. A herbal remedy often used to give the adrenal glands back their power is stinging nettle. This gives anxiety a kick to the curb while helping to create and maintain more focus and vibrancy.

Some folks who experience depleted adrenal glands are hyper-sensitive to ordinary situations leaving the door wide open for fear, anxiety, and nervousness. Some may say it is a part of their personalities to over-react, however, it’s more of an inherent condition.

Stinging nettle isn’t as bad as it sounds. It doesn’t actually hurt to use it. Many folks use the bulk herb and create their own tea infused from it, leaving it in boiling water overnight to steep properly. Straining out the herb and drinking up the tea works wonders on anxiety.

Oatstraw

Oatstraw gives anxiety the boost right out the door. Oatstraw is best when infused just like stinging nettle. Oatstraw has a light and easy, smooth taste to it. Most people that experience hyper activity and too much nervous energy really benefit from Oatstraw the most. For others, adding oatstraw to the tub and laying back and enjoying it is the perfect antidote to a stressful day.

Do you ever remember hearing that a nice glass of warm milk before bed will put you to sleep and keep you asleep all night long? Well, there’s something to that myth. There’s plenty of calcium in milk and calcium soothes the nerves. Both oatstraw and stinging nettle have calcium and plenty of it.

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Conclusion

If you suffer from anxiety, the first thing you need to know is that you are not alone. Millions of people around the world suffer from some sort of anxiety in one way or another. They may handle it differently or have it in different volumes or they may even keep it to themselves. Everyone experiences some sort of anxiety in their lifetime.

Secondly, there are plenty of treatment options that don’t fall into the prescription category. Knowing that there is help and it doesn’t have to come in prescription form should be enough to soothe your soul. Also herbal remedies are there to help. These ancient remedies have been around for centuries.

While this list may seem extensive, once you begin to research which one is best for you and begin to implement herbal remedies into your lifestyle, you will find that knowing what your needs are and which herbal remedy is right for you is easy. Always talk with your doctor first before making any changes to your medication or before trying out new treatments.

However, finding and applying successfully the right herbal remedies along with holistic methods to keep your anxiety at bay is definitely possible.

 

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