Almost everyone is familiar with herbs like St. John’s Wort or chamomile, which work to relax the body and muscles, aiding in sleep and calming down one’s mind. But for chronic anxiety sufferers, some of the more popular herbs just don’t work in calming down the mind like we’re wanting. If you ever get that feeling that your mind is freaking out but your body is in slow motion, then you have experience with herbal supplements with calming aides that don’t fully work. To get the most out of your anxiety relieving herbal supplements, look for herbs that contain the following ingredients to completely calm your body AND mind with little to no side effects.
L-theanine. This herb, which is derived from green tea, has similar effects on calming the mind that prescription-strength anti-anxiety pills have, like Xanax and Prozac, without the negative side effects. Look for herbal supplements to calm your body and mind with L-theanine in them, and the recommended daily dosage of L-theanine is 50-200 mg every 8 hours, not exceeding 1200 mg in a 24 hour period. L-theanine has no known side effect in larger dosages, and for major anxiety sufferers 600 mg can be consumed every 6 hours. The calming effects of L-theanine typically jump in within a half hour and last between 8 to 10 hours. L-theanine works in the body by stimulating the alpha brain waves, which are the waves that encourage mental and physical relaxation. L-theanine will not make one drowsy as it does not stimulate brain waves that encourage sleep. Rather, it encourages the alpha waves to dominate the body, encouraging a more relaxed state.
Eat more oats. Oats encourage relaxation and strengthens the nervous system, keeping you from being more stressed. Incorporate raw oats into your diet to strengthen your nervous system and keep your body from stressing as often.
Feverfew can be taken moderately during the day to calm and ease anxiety.
Skullcap is a great anti-anxiety herb and when taken moderately during the day won’t cause drowsiness. Can be taken in herbal tea form, and is a great drink prior to going to bed for relaxation during sleep. It works quickly in the body to ward off massive panic attacks and keeps the body calm during the day, and eases the body into comfortable sleep at night.
Kava has been used for years to aide women in depression after giving birth. It is a mild sedative, so needs to be used in small doses during the day, but works excellently in calming the body down and works best when taken at night. It can be used during the day to calm nerves without drowsiness if not taken excessively. It is advised to not take Kava exclusively for more than 4 months at a time.
Try Passionflower for chronic daytime anxiety, such as paranoia, extreme fear, etc. It works to calm the body without drowsiness and works quickly to get the body to relax and stimulates the alpha brain waves to ward off the frightful feelings. At night is can curb nighttime terrors that many extreme anxiety sufferers have.
Do your research when exploring new ways to curb your anxiety. There are many new herbs out there you may not have even heard of that can help you in both your physical and mental anxiety, and many have the desired effects entirely in just a few days. GO to your local health foods store to find the right herbs and dosages for you, and experiment to see what it is you’re needing. With proper dosages, you can be well on your way to being anxiety-free.
