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Natural/herbal remedies for anxiety - do any of them actually work?

Kate Kestrel

Hello everyone,

Before I go ahead and potentially waste money on products that don’t work - has anyone tried any herbal/natural remedies for anxiety that actually work? In the past I’ve tried a few but never found they made any difference. I can’t take anti-depressants as I experience terrible side effects to them - so need to try something else. 

Has anyone had any success with things like Valerian and Passiflora etc? That kind of thing? 

I don’t want to make the mistake of wasting money I can ill afford to lose just because I’m at the end of my tether and desperate for anything that might work. 

And for anyone else who is struggling with anxiety - sending best wishes to you because it’s so hard isn’t it? Really tough when it’s bad. 

thanks 

Parents

  • not sure, but i know some herbal stuff can help you relax.
    i had peppermint tea and chamomile tea and they both did seem to have a relaxing effect and made my stomach feel less bloated and uncomfortable. they supposedly act as anti-inflammatory and get rid of inflammation so probably good if you have bowel issues anytime i guess. and given anxiety can effect and disturb your bowels it could be good. plus it made me sleep a bit better probably more efficiently.

    so herbal stuff can have a effect, just whether the effect is big enough to make a difference or not is the question.

  • in reply to Caelus

    Ah yes.  I do still use relaxing teas at bedtime and also mint tea for any stomach issues.  I actually grow my own mint for this (including chocolate mint, which smells of After Eights and pineapple mint which is a bit more refreshing, i think).  They do help a little.  

    It's just that for my major anxiety issues, usually relating to being out there the the world (especially the workplace) or being overwhelmed by a host of things here at home, these barely touch the sides.  So, yes, it's definitely about the intensity of the problem and whether the effects are big enough.  For me I do like and benefit from using herbs, but they didn't deliver an effect that was anywhere near big enough for my massive, lifelong anxiety problem.  :( 

  • in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    breathing and focusing on breathing in and out can help anxiety at the moment of it. if its anxiety over a pre-planned appointment or event thing then forcing all the nerves out by poop often helps, not that you have a choice it will make you poop anyway lol but it still calms and deals with it in a way, i guess the body deals with it like that better than we can think of. although i guess also its not very efficient as that usually could lead to ibs symptoms if its regular like that.

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  • in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    breathing and focusing on breathing in and out can help anxiety at the moment of it. if its anxiety over a pre-planned appointment or event thing then forcing all the nerves out by poop often helps, not that you have a choice it will make you poop anyway lol but it still calms and deals with it in a way, i guess the body deals with it like that better than we can think of. although i guess also its not very efficient as that usually could lead to ibs symptoms if its regular like that.

Children
  • in reply to Caelus

    Yes, I agree this can help.  Before my diagnosis I attended yoga classes for a while, then tai chi (chi kung, mainly) classes and a lot of this focussed on meditation and breathwork. 

    Not sure about the pooing.  Certainly it can affect bowels bu what I mostly found was that I developed a really loud and embarrassing tummy rumble, of the sort that could be easily heard across a room.  Maybe I was somehow swallowing air?  Anyway, I can remember a lot of classes where my focus was on avoiding loud rumbles, shifting around and coughing to disguise it, then having to catch up on the actual learning later on.