It is definitely no surprise that herbal treatments are so often advertised for anxiety since people are interested in natural options and the number of people that suffer from anxiety is growing. Unfortunately, out of all the mental illnesses in USA, anxiety is definitely the most common, with 6.8 million adult citizens affected. All the anxiety disorders actually affect around 40 million people.
Anxiety is an illness that often affects people for life. Using herbal treatments when possible makes a lot of sense as you would not rely on medication. The only problem is that we cannot really cover the very best options. This is something that is debatable as we do not have enough studies carried out. Even so, the following are known to be effective so you can try them. Remember that if one does not work, there are others and you can always consider alternatives.
Passionflower
Studies showed that passionflower works in a similar way to the common benzodiazepine drugs used in anxiety treatment. There are 2 studies that compared the herb with the common medications used. When compared with the popular oxazepam, the drug was faster to act but the efficiency of both was around the same. Passionflower helps to ease the common symptoms like agitation, irritability and even depression. You will want to drink one 1 of tea from passionflower 3 times per day. Alternatively 45 regular drops of extract in a liquid form in drinks is suitable.
Lavender
Lavender has so many health benefits. It seems that we should have essential oils at home at all times. A study recently showed that lavender oil is as effective as lorazepam in treating people that suffer from anxiety. What was interesting though was that lavender did not come with the secondary side effects. This herbal treatment is available in supplement form. You just need around 80 mg per day.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is no stranger in herbal therapy but it is normally used with different other herbs. On its own it was proven to have some great anti-anxiety powers. We now this from 2004 when a study used lemon balm extract and a placebo. Mood was measured after just one hour. A dose of around 600 mg was proven to improve alertness, calmness and stress was reduced.
Ashwagandha
This is a herbal treatment option for anxiety that not many know about. It was proven that taking ashwagandha extract improves symptoms. What has to be mentioned is that cortisol levels were reduced substantially when taking this extract. Zero serious side effects were reported when the extract was tested in a two months study.
Extra Tip: L-Theanine
We should mention this as an extra. It is not a herb. L-theanine is an amino acid that is water-soluble. Research shows that it is quite effective when looking at anxiety treatments. You will find it mainly in black and green teas. If you can find it, supplements are also available. L-theanine is interesting since it will directly work on your brain, causing anxiety and stress reductions. All without getting drowsy.