Are you 'swimming' in stress,
lately? Bills and worries piling up? Challenges sprouting up in your job, family,
and home? You may be suffering from anxiety. According to the Anxiety and
Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental
illness in the U.S. and affect 40 million adults. Generalized anxiety disorder,
on its own, affects 6.8 million adults, with women twice as likely to be
affected as men.
Whether you’re suffering from a
lifelong illness or simply going through a stressful period in your life,
natural herbs can help. Here are five that are particularly good for calming you
down - without putting you to sleep
1:Passion
Flower
The
University of Maryland Medical Center states that passionflower has shown in a
few studies to work as well as some of the benzodiazepine medications that are
usually prescribed for treating anxiety.
A
four-week double-blind study, for example, compared passionflower with
oxazepam. Results showed oxazepam worked more quickly, but by the end of the
study period, both treatments were shown to be equally effective. Bonus—side
effects like daytime drowsiness were fewer with passionflower.
A second
study also showed that passionflower helped ease symptoms like anxiety,
irritability, agitation, and depression in participants going through
withdrawal from an opiate drug addiction.
Dosage: Try
one cup of passionflower tea three times daily, 45 drops of liquid extract
daily, or about 90 mg/day.
2:Lavender:
A
2010 multi-center, double blind randomized study of lavender oil compared to
anti-anxiety medication lorazepam found that both were effective against
generalized and persistent anxiety. Bonus — lavender had no sedative side
effects.
“Since
lavender oil showed no sedative effects,” researchers stated, it could be an
effective and “well-tolerated alternative to benzodiazepines” to treat
generalized anxiety. An earlier 2000 study found similar results.
Dosage: Try
about 80 mg/day of the supplement, or use the oil as an aromatherapy solution.
3:Lemon Balm:
Though
usually found in combination with other herbs, lemon balm also has anti-anxiety
powers on its own.
Research
published in 2004, for instance, gave participants a single dose of lemon balm
extract (300 mg or 600 mg) or a placebo, then measured their mood after one
hour. The higher dose resulted in reduced stress and improved calmness and
alertness. Even the lower dose helped participants do math problems more
quickly.
Dosage: Use
in aromatherapy, try 300-500 mg of dried lemon balm three times daily, 60 drops
daily, or 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of dried lemon balm herb in hot water for a tea
four times daily.
4:Ashwagandha ( herbal capsule ):
A
2012 double blind, placebo-controlled study gave participants either placebo or
a capsule containing 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum ashwagandha
extract, twice a day. The study lasted for 60 days. Those taking the
ashwagandha showed significant improvements. Even the levels of the stress
hormone cortisol were substantially reduced in those taking the extract. And
there were no serious side effects.
In an
earlier 2000 study, ashwagandha had anxiety-relieving effects similar to those
of lorazepam.
Dosage: Typical
dosage is 300 mg standardized to at least one to five percent withanolides,
once or twice a day.
5:L- thenanine (balck-tea leaves) :
This
one isn’t really a herb — it’s a water-soluble amino acid, but it’s
gotten such good research behind it we had to include it here. It’s found
mainly in green tea and black tea and is also available as a supplement.
Studies
have found that it acts directly on the brain, helping to reduce stress and anxiety—without
causing drowsiness.
Research
from 2008, for example, found that those participants taking 50 mg of
L-theanine a day had a greater increase in alpha (relaxed brain waves) activity
than those who took a placebo.
An
earlier 1998 study found that 200 mg a day lead to increased alpha-brain waves
and a relaxed, yet alert, state of mind.
A later
2011 study found that it was also associated with reduced anxiety, and was well
tolerated and safe for participants.
Dosage: A
typical cup of black tea contains only about 25 mg of l-theanine and green tea
only about 8 mg. While a cup of tea may be calming, if you want more potent
effects, try a supplement, about 200 mg a day.