4 Ways Mother Nature Might Be Your Answer to Reducing Anxiety

Although it”s perfectly normal to experience periods of anxiety, it”s also understandable that you might feel just as anxious about taking prescription drugs to remedy the situation.

Fortunately, there are a host of solutions found in nature that can address symptoms of restlessness, poor concentration, irritability, tension headaches, and a host of other ailments associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

The next time you feel anxious, consider resorting to these remedies.

Passionflower

It”s long been known that the herb passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) was used as a folk remedy for anxiety and insomnia. Two studies involving a total of 198 people examined the effectiveness of passionflower for anxiety.

One found passionflower to be comparable to benzodiazepine drugs. There was also improvement in job performance with passionflower and less drowsiness than compared with the drug mexazolam. However, neither was statistically significant.

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Kava

Indigenous to Polynesia and the South Pacific, the herb kava (Piper methysticum) has been found to have an anti-anxiety effect.

Lead researcher Dr. Jerome Sarris, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, said that general anxiety disorder is a complex condition that significantly affects many people”s day-to-day lives. Current medications have a modest clinical impact, whereas his research with kava showed improvement.

Furthermore, there were no significant adverse reactions that could be attributed to kava and no signs of withdrawal or addiction.

Aromatherapy

Plant essential oils can be added to baths, massage oil, or infusers. Essential oils that are used for anxiety and nervous tension are: bergamot, cypress, geranium, jasmine, melissa, neroli, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, among others. Lavender is the most common and is known to form the base note for many relaxing blends.

Valerian

Valerian, also known as Valeriana officinalis, is a perennial native to Europe and Asia which has also naturalized in North America. It”s one of the key ingredients in Formula 303 and has been used as a medicinal herb dating back to ancient Greece and Rome.

In the 16th century, valerian was used to treat nervousness, shakiness, headaches, and even heart palpitations associated with anxiety and tension.

Earthturns offers free shipping on Formula 303 and is an excellent resource to learn more about valerian and some of the other natural herbal remedies noted above.

Whether you have full-blown general anxiety disorder or just feel tense, you might consider trying some of these natural remedies before turning to prescription medication. In either case, it”s always wise to consult a physician before you commence such a regimen.