With the complications, stresses and strains of modern life, often combined with unresolved emotional issues; many people are suffering from anxiety and depression. Whilst there are many ways to help yourself cope with such problems, including yoga, therapy and exercise; this article seeks to list herbal remedies to ease panic attacks and anxiety and in some cases depression. As always, if the symptoms of your depression are really bad, we advise you to visit a doctor.
For ease of reading, we’ve broken this down into 3 sections: Relaxant herbs, Anti-Anxiety herbs and Antidepressant ones. Essentially, relaxants aim to ease moderate anxiety. Anti-anxiety remedies seek to alleviate panic symptoms, whilst antidepressants can be used as a natural way to alleviate mild depression.
Contents
Relaxant Herbs
Lime Blossom
With a delicate and invigorating scent, lime blossom has relaxing properties, which help reduce nervous tension, depression and anxiety. As an effective sleeping remedy, this can also be used to relax and manage sleep, which helps restore balance.
Chamomile
A famous and natural relaxant, chamomile helps other plants around it gain strength in nature, and can do the same when drunk as a tea for people suffering mild anxieties. Ultimately, chamomile helps to relax nerves and again can be drunk as a sedative before bed.
Passion Flower
Complicated, beautiful and easy to grow, passion flower is an effective herb for many anxiety related conditions as it sedates, soothes, and relaxes. Often associated with being an aphrodisiac, passion flower is effective at lowering anxieties, which of course inhibit sexual encounters.
Bach’s Rescue Remedy
Comprised of five natural herb extracts, this is intended to be dropped into a regular drink of water or squash and helps to calm people down. Popular as a pre-interview pep up, it contains: Star of Bethlehem to reduce shock; Rock Rose to combat fear and panic; Impatiens for reducing mental and physical tension in situations where you find it hard to relax, and the mind is agitated and irritable; Cherry Plum to help regulate the emotions and prevent loss of control such as shouting; and Clematis: an optimum remedy for the bemused and distant feeling, which precedes a panic attack or fainting.
Anti-Anxiety Herbs
Ashwagandha
A herb known to stabilize moods as well as behavioral disturbances, the anxiety-anxiety effect of Ashwagandha is comparable the prescription drug Lorazepam, but is a natural substitute.
Kava Kava
With a relaxing effect, Kava Kava helps to reduce anxiety. Studies have suggested it can be as effective as prescription anti-anxiety drugs containing benzodiazepines, including Valium or Lorazepam. Unlike its pharmaceutical counterparts, kava kava is not addictive.
Valerian Root
Valerian root has often been compared as a natural valium, oerhaps because of their similar sounding names! Taken as a tea, it has a sedative effect on the Central Nervous System and is powerful for reducing anxiety and even regulating sleep patterns.
Bacopa (Brahmi)
Similar again in impact to Lorazepam, Bacopa is a natural soother, which helps ease anxiety-related problems.
Anti-Depressant Herbs:
St John’s Wort
The number one herb considered to equate to antidepressant prescription drugs such as fluoxetine, St. John’s Wort is a famous alternative to SSRIs. It helps to inhibit Monoamine oxidase (MAO), which is essentially what modern antidepressant drugs do. As such, it should not be taken alongside other medications such as Prozac.
Kava Kava
Kava Kava not only helps reduce anxiety, but can also be effective in the treatment of depression too.
Rhodiola Rosea
Supporting a healthy and effective function of neurotransmitters or the MAO, Rhodalia Rosea helps to control anxiety and associated depression.
We really must stress here the importance of seeking medical advice before embarking on taking some of the stronger natural drugs, such as St. John’s Wort. It can be really dangerous to mix this with taking SSRIs such as fluoxetine, venlafaxine, mirtazapine and countless others. Overusing natural alternatives or incorrectly mixing them with their pharmaceutical equivalents can lead to Serotonin Syndrome: which includes confusion, agitation or restlessness, headache, rapid heart rate, dizziness nausea and even unconsciousness.
If you have any anxiety-related disorder, you can try the Panic Away program.