The Best Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress
Herbs can work extremely well as natural remedies for anxiety and stress. They are an excellent option for treating anxiety and stress because they are safe, freely available, and easy to use. Many people find relief with herbal supplements or brews and in this article, we’ll take a look at three of the most effective herbs.
It’s important to note that stress is a completely normal and often beneficial reaction. But if stress is constant, it will do more harm than good to your body. Another important point to consider is that the best strategy for overcoming anxiety, stress, or even depression, is healing the root cause.
That being said, getting to the root of the issues may take some time and effort. While working on the long-term solution, there are natural remedies available for anxiety and stress that can provide quick and easy relief for the symptoms.
Let’s take a look at 3 tried and tested (and my favourite) herbal remedies for anxiety and stress.
1. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), as you can probably guess, is a lemon-scented herb from the same family as mint. Lemon balm is natively found in Europe, North Africa, and West Asia, and is grown around the world.
This herb has been used for over 2000 years for positive behavioral effects, such as improved mood and better cognitive performance, but it has anti-stress and potentially anti-anxiety qualities as well.
Lemon balm can help you to relax and relieve symptoms of stress. A study found that taking lemon balm eased the negative mood effects of psychological stress. Participants reported an increased sense of calmness and reduced feelings of alertness after taking Lemon balm.
Lemon balm can also work as an anti-anxiety medicine. It has been found to reduce symptoms of anxiety, such as nervousness and excitability.
Lemon balm tea for anxiety or stress
My favorite way to use lemon balm is to brew tea out of the leaves. Lemon balm tea is a tasty natural remedy for stress and anxiety, one that’s been used for centuries. Taken at night, it may even promote sleep.
Keep in mind, that the dose is quite small when taken this way. If you are looking for stronger effects, consider trying a supplement capsule 1-2 times a day.
Brewing tea is not complicated, but here’s a short recipe to get you started.
You can use fresh leaves or dried leaves, whichever you prefer, or is easily available.
Here’s a recipe for lemon balm tea:
- Place the fresh or dried leaves in a teapot. The amount is up to you and I recommend a method of trial and error to find the sweet spot. A good starting point is 2 teaspoons of ground fresh or dried leaves for 1 cup.
- Add boiling water and let steep for 5-10 minutes. Give it a stir a couple of times during the process.
- Strain into a cup. For sweetening, I recommend honey or Stevia.
It tastes very good and relaxes your body and mind. You can also make iced tea out of it!
2. Green tea
You may have heard of the so-called blue zones: Regions in the world where people supposedly live longer than average. This long life span has been attributed mainly to the diet, but it just so happens that people in the blue zones also drink green tea.
It is now widely accepted, that Mediterranean and Asian diets that include green tea have enormous health benefits, including protective effects against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
Green tea delivers many other health benefits as well:
- May prevent cancer
- Regulates cholesterol
- Mediates weight loss
- Regulates aging
- Inhibits tooth decay
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces inflammation
And of course, green tea has an abundance of antioxidants that contribute to stress resistance and help alleviate symptoms of anxiety.
It’s another tea to add to your diet, but if you don’t like to drink cups and cups of tea during the day, you can take lemon balm or green tea as a supplement when needed.
You can also combine green tea with lemon balm leaves to make lemon balm green tea!
I recommend drinking green tea regularly and taking lemon balm as a supplement if you feel overwhelmed with stress or anxiety.
3. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), or winter cherry, is an evergreen shrub in the nightshade family. It is Native to India, where it has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic medicine tradition.
I don’t like to use the term “superfood”, since it’s obviously coined for marketing and sales purposes, but it might hit the spot when describing Ashwagandha.
There’s plenty of scientific evidence to support that claim. Ashwagandha has anti-stress, neuroprotective, antitumor, anti-arthritic, pain relieving, and anti-inflammatory qualities.
It is particularly useful for stress-induced diseases, such as anxiety: It’s an adaptogen, so it helps your body respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Indians even claim that it works as an aphrodisiac!
Ashwagandha is loaded with phytochemical steroid compounds known as withanolides, which support the function of your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate your stress response, metabolism, immune system, and blood pressure.
If it doesn’t already sound amazing, here’s a list of other potential benefits of ashwagandha:
- Lowers cortisol
- Lowers blood sugars
- Lowers stress/anxiety
- Lowers depression
- Increases testosterone
- Lowers inflammation
- Better brain function
- Lowers pain
- Improves sleep
The only downside is, that it doesn’t smell all that great. Loosely translated, Ashwagandha means “the smell and strength of a horse”.
That’s why I recommend taking it as a supplement. Check your local stores and follow the instructions on the package.
Additional natural remedies for anxiety and stress
The first step in treating any physical or mental health issue is consulting a professional. Before trying any supplements, practices, diets etc. discuss the pros and cons with a qualified healthcare professional.
Once you have done that, there are things that you may want to try out.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America lists complementary and integrative health practices that may help in treating anxiety or depression.
The practices include:
Stress and Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques may produce modest short-term reduction of anxiety in people with ongoing health problems. I recommend a simple breathing exercise or EFT tapping (not affiliated).
Meditation
Moderate evidence suggests that meditation is useful for symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults. You can read about meditation here.
Yoga
May also help alleviate anxiety and depression. I haven’t tried yoga yet, so I can’t make recommendations. There seems to be Yoga-classes in every town and the internet is full of instructional videos. Pick a practice that resonates with you.
Acupuncture
There is increasing evidence that acupuncture can help treat anxiety disorders. Check your local practices if you are interested.
Fix your gut microbiome to relieve anxiety
Another natural remedy for anxiety is fixing the health of your gut microbiome. The largest number of nerves outside of the brain is in your gut. The gut also communicates with your brain, so the two can affect each other in profound ways.
As an example, when you are stressed you can “feel it in your gut”, usually very literally. When you are anxious, there are “butterflies in your stomach”. That’s your mind affecting your gut. But the connection also works the other way around.
Your gut microbes also make neurotransmitters, like GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. In fact, 90% of the serotonin that the body produces is in the intestinal tract. Serotonin, as you may know, is one of the neurotransmitters that greatly affect your mood.
So make sure your gut is working well. It most likely plays a huge role in how you feel.
From the list in this article, Ashwagandha and green tea help reduce inflammation. Getting rid of inflammation will help your gut function properly.
You should also consider taking a good probiotic, consuming fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut) or dairy, and fasting periodically, to help your gut function as intended.
Conclusion
The herbs in this article are tried and tested natural remedies for anxiety and stress. They have been used for centuries for treating anxiety and stress. Herbs are safe, freely available, and easy to use
The 3 most potent herbs for anxiety and stress relief are:
1. Lemon balm
It can help you to relax and relieve symptoms of stress. Good for sleep, try brewing lemon balm tea.
2. Green tea
Diets that include green tea have enormous health benefits. Green tea has an abundance of antioxidants that contribute to stress resistance and help alleviate symptoms of anxiety. Try combining Lemon Balm leaves with Green tea.
3. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is particularly useful for stress-induced diseases, such as anxiety: It’s an adaptogen, so it helps your body respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Try taking ashwagandha capsules 1-2 times a day.
Additional anxiety and stress remedies that you can try:
- Deep breathing exercises or EFT tapping
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
Your gut microbiome may also play a part in anxiety and stress. To help your gut microbiome stay healthy:
- take a good probiotic
- consume fermented vegetables or dairy
- fast periodically
With these remedies, you should be able to dramatically reduce the negative effects of stress and anxiety. Try one or more and see the results for yourself!
Disclaimer
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information in this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care professional before trying any of the products or methods based on this content. I cannot guarantee that you will be free of stress, anxiety or depression, or that you will be happy. I simply want to share with you what I have discovered during my twenty years of seeking happiness and what has worked for me may not work for you.
