Five Great Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.

For 20 million adults in the U.S., anxiety isn’t just a passing feeling. It is recurring and life-altering. There are ways to manage this condition through alternative health. So here is a look at the top herbal remedies and natural remedies for battling this common condition.

When someone has chronic anxiety that can be triggered by stress, they have a disorder. One of the body’s ways to manage stress is to become anxious. This is believed to help you cope with the situation. When anxiety persists, you may have a disorder. If you have irrational fears about any number of things, your anxiety may have taken the leap from a symptom to a disorder requiring medical attention. They include social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder.

Most people with anxiety disorders and panic attacks actually use complementary and alternative medicine to control symptoms more than mainstream drugs. Here’s a quick list of the best natural remedies to soothe anxiety:

1. Valerian: This is the king of soothing herbs. For anxiety, it may bind itself to brain receptors and release its sedating effect. It is thought to calm nerves, balance mood swings, and reduce stressful situations. You can drink valerian root tea many times a day, or opt for supplements of between 600 mg and 1,200 mg, three times a day.

2. 5-HTP: This popular supplement is used by your body to make serotonin that controls, among other things, mood. Best known for treating depression, 5-HTP may be useful for anxiety. It’s beaten placebo in studies and come close to the effects of actual anxiety medication. A typical dose is 100 mg to 300 mg, three times a day.

3. Inositol: This is a B-vitamin used for anxiety that triggers panic attacks. It’s advisable to speak to your doctor about this possibility, as the doses needed are rather high. Studies have used 4.0 g all the way to 18 g a day.

4. Multivitamins: Strangely enough, a simple multivitamin-mineral supplement has been found to reduce anxiety. It could also reduce the anxiety related to how a person views a stressful situation.

5. Passionflower: Hailing from the same soothing herbal family as valerian root, passionflower has been long used as a mild sedative. Drinking three cups of passionflower tea (with real dried leaves) a day could reduce anxiety.

If you’ve already been prescribed medication for an anxiety or mood disorder, do not discontinue use of the drug without consulting with your doctor. If you’re interested in trying any of the natural anxiety remedies mentioned above, it’s always best to get your doctor’s or pharmacist’s advice on dosage, interactions, and side effects.