Herbs for Anxiety? Nice idea huh, maybe if you take some harmless, side effect free herbs all your problems will melt away! Well, some people swear by it, and as I am about to add a herbs section to Anxiety 2 Calm I thought I’d do a bit of investigation.
As ever, when it comes to complimentary or alternative medicine there is a mind-blowing array of choices and advice that is so conflicting that at first it can seem that there is no true answer. The problem is that a lack of research means a lack of generally accepted dosage instructions or evidence of efficacy.
The unscientific nature of herbal healthcare is actually something of a bonus! Doctors with their statistics and their labels see everything in black and white and end up with a lot of self fulfilling prophecies, placebo effect, disappointment and lack of understanding. With herbs you take what you are going to take and see if it does anything. If you do a bit of research and buy from reputable outlets you are unlikely to come to any harm and it might just work.
Some of the best herbs for anxiety are Kava Kava and Valerian.
Kava Kava was banned for sometime due to a health scare but it proved completely unfounded. One brand had become contaminated and the issue was blown out of proportion by authorities in the USA. It was a bit like banning sweets across the world because because one batch of chewing gum in France got contaminated. Some believe the pharmaceutical Industry was behind it, as they were scared both by Kava Kava’s efficacy and popularity when it came to treating anxiety.
Valerian is said to be “Nature’s Valium”. Personally I found it made me pretty spacey but why not give it a bash? It’s not addictive, cheap, and readily available!
