For years, I have been a victim of my stress and anxiety. Every time I am under attacked, I feel like my whole body is going to burst into nothingness. My mind loses its rationality. It can only think of death. My heart pounds wildly. It feels like shattering my rib cage. My limbs grow cold. I feel like a dead man walking.
These unpleasant feelings I experience whenever my anxiety commands me made me desperate for a cure. I took anti-depressants to make me feel better, but its effectiveness was not immediate. I took anti-anxiety drugs, but its side effects were worse. With these prescription drugs not working for my benefit, I turned to a more natural approach: herbs.
Herbs are effective at relieving stress and anxiety attacks. They are natural and inexpensive forms of remedy. Its success in alleviating symptoms of anxiety has been proven by our great ancestors and documented by hundreds of researches and experiments. Several studies have already been conducted to support the therapeutic benefits of herbs. What’s more, these herbs can be grown, cultivated and harvested in your own garden plots or even in your own window sills, making them accessible and available to your needs.
Some of the most effective herbs I have known to help manage anxiety are the following.
1. Chamomile
Chamomile, particularly the German variety, is used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. It is often consumed as tea by boiling its flower tops in a pint of water, straining its extracts and then flavoring it with honey. Other times its extracts are applied directly to the skin as an ointment or cream to relieve aching muscles.
2. Feverfew
Originally from the Balkan mountains of Eastern Europe, this short bush plant is used to calm nerves and relieve pounding headaches and migraines. Often eaten fresh, its leaves can also be dried to make into supplements such as liquid extracts, tablets and capsules.
3. Ginseng (Asian)
A native to China and Korea, ginseng helps to boost the immune system by lowering blood pressure and regulating glucose levels. Its active chemical properties help improve mental and physical performance, as well as emotional balance to reduce stress and enhance health. To be made more available, its roots are dried and made into teas, tablets, capsules and extracts.
4. Green Tea
First used in China a thousand years ago, green tea is brewed and drunk to treat stress and anxiety. It is rich in L-theanine, an amino acid that has the ability to penetrate beyond the blood-brain barrier to easily soothe the nervous system and the body. It also contains numerous plant-based compounds which help promote relaxation and increase feelings of well-being.
5. Kava Kava
Rich in Kavalactone, kava kava of the pepper family has been used for centuries as a ceremonial beverage in the islands of the South Pacific. Its extracts help fight fatigue, resolve sleeping problems, and treat anxiety and menopausal symptoms. Its rhizome is used to make beverages, tablets, capsules, extracts and topical solutions.
6. Lavender
Historically used to purify dead bodies of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, today, lavender is used to manage stress, fatigue, and restlessness, including anxiety and depression conditions. Its fragrant scent slows the activity of the nervous system which is beneficial for people suffering from anxiety and sleep disorders. Moreover, inhalation of this plant’s extracts improves concentration and stabilizes mood.
7. Lemon Balm
This citrus scented herb has a calming effect on the nervous system making it practical for the treatment of nervous tension, insomnia, and stress-related digestive problems. Its leaves and shoots can be either prepared fresh or dried to make tea.
8. Passionflower
This perennial climbing vine of the North America is useful in the treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders. It acts to enhance the effects of GABA which is a significant inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps decrease overexcitability of nerves. Passionflower is prepared in tea, infusion, tincture, and liquid extract forms.
9. St. John’s Wort
Named after St. John the Baptist, St. John’s Wort has been used for centuries in the treatment of mental disorders and nerve pain. When taken regularly and under the supervision of a health care provider, it shows to have a long-term effect on anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. This is available in teas, tablets, capsules and tinctures.
10. Valerian
Valerian has been used for anxiety and sleep disorders since the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Its roots and underground stems are rich in Valepotriate, a substance that causes sedation. Hence, it is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety such trembling, irregular heartbeats, headaches, as well as treat depression symptoms.
If you are suffering from attacks of anxiety and are having trouble with your prescription medications, using some of the listed herbs might hold the answer for you too, as it did for me.
Ryan Rivera can attest to the efficacy of herbs in the management of anxiety. His symptoms disappeared when he incorporated them in his treatment program. For more information about natural and alternative anxiety treatment methods, visit www.calmclinic.com.