Natural remedies for anxiety

What is anxiety?

What is anxiety?

Anxiety-related disorders include a wide variety of symptoms including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attack, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety, phobia social, specific phobias and acute stress. In general, the symptoms of anxiety that lead to drug treatment are those that significantly interfere with normal functions. In addition, symptoms of anxiety are often associated with depression and other medical conditions. Anxiety is a normal human emotion that performs an adaptive function. However, in psychiatry, feelings of fear or dread that are out of focus or out of proportion to the perceived danger (e.g. specific phobias) often require treatment. An external environmental stimulus, a particularly altering situation for a certain subject, unable to manage it, involves a lack of adaptation response by the organism, resulting in a state of stress that can manifest itself in a different way with fear, tachycardia, sweating, worry , nausea, vomiting and tremor. Alongside these aspects there are other considerations that should be deepened, such as the emotional and behavioral one as well as the pathophysiological one. Below we will deal with the main natural remedies for anxiety.

What are the main natural remedies for anxiety?

Natural remedies for anxiety

Alongside conventional therapies that deserve medical attention, there are natural remedies that can represent a valid help in case of anxiety. It is advisable to take the remedies discussed below under the advice of a pharmacist or doctor, also by contacting our contacts.

Hypericum

Hypericum for anxiety

Hypericum (also called St. John's wort) is a biennial or perennial herbaceous plant, present all over the world. The part of the hypericum plant containing the active ingredients (the so-called drug in pharmacognosy) is represented by the leaves and flowering tops. Most of the supplements contain dry extract titrated to 3% in hypericin, which is one of the main active components of hypericum, together with hyperforin (maximum content of 6% in supplements) and flavonoids including rutin, quercetin and iroside. These chemical components are the main ones to carry out, in different ways, the antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects of hypericum. Hypericum is useful in countering various disorders of the nervous system, as well as depression and anxiety states, including excitability, menopausal neurosis and nervous exhaustion. As for the therapy in case of anxious states, it is recommended to take a minimum of 0.75mg of hypericin generally corresponding to 1 capsule or 2 depending on the supplement, possibly on an empty stomach. For use as an antidepressant, a period of at least 2 or 3 weeks of "adaptation" is required to be able to highlight its effects. It is recommended to use it under the opinion of the pharmacist or doctor as hypericum can have numerous interactions with different drugs. Hypericum is chondroindicated in pediatric, pregnant and lactating age.

Hawthorn features and use

Hawthorn for anxiety

Hawthorn is a thorny shrub up to 5 meters high, the fruits of which are red berries. The used part of the plant consists of the flowers, the flowering tops and the leaves even if the flowers have a greater quantity of active ingredients. The main components responsible for the biological effects are the flavonoids including hyperoside, quercetin, vitexin and apigenin, tannins such as procyanidin and proanthocyanidin and a caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid. The effects of hawthorn are mainly on the cardiovascular and central nervous system levels. In the heart, hawthorn increases the flow of coronary blood with an increase in the force of contraction of the heart (positive inotropic effect), a reduction in beats and an antiarrhythmic effect. At the central level, however, it has a sedative action. It follows that in case of anxiety, it can have a calming action, reduce panic attacks and counteract tachycardia. It is recommended to take 7-10mg of flavonoids, corresponding to 1 or 2 capsules per day, depending on the supplement.

Lavender characteristics and use

Lavender for anxiety

Lavender is a shrubby perennial species that reaches 50-100cm with blue-purplish flowers that bloom from June to September. The parts used are the flowering tops, whose essence is rich in linalyl acetate, linalool, limonene, pinene, with small quantities of camphor, cineole and others. The main properties attributable to lavender are healing, calming, hypotensive, antispasmodic, carminative, healing and antiseptic properties. The main use is intended for the creation of aromas, essences and perfumes. The anxiolytic action of lavender essence is mainly to be attributed to the action of linalool, which has anxiolytic and calming properties and is therefore indicated in anxious states and to promote relaxation. It can be taken in the form of aromatherapy or with the direct intake of a few drops of the essential oil, but the best dosage can be obtained by taking it in capsules. The recommended dosage is 80mg per day of essential oil, generally corresponding to 1 capsule. It is not recommended to use it under the age of 12, during pregnancy and lactation.

Passiflora characteristics and use

Passion flower Passiflora or anxiety

The flowers and fruits of the passion flower are rich in active ingredients including harmaline, armani, armolo, gynogenic glycosides, saponaria and vitexin. The activities of the plant are sedative, relaxing and antispasmodic. Useful in sleep disorders and in case of anxiety, in the forms of neurosis, hysterics, phobic, obsessive, post traumatic, in anxieties. Useful in menopausal disorders, such as tachycardia, dyspnea, hot flashes, stress. It has a preventive action on some cardiovascular diseases (always consult your doctor). It acts on the central nervous system with a mild tranquilizing-sedative effect, but does not produce narcotic effects. It relaxes the smooth muscle tissue of the digestive system so it is an excellent antispasmodic, with digestive effects. It is also useful in menstrual pain as it relaxes the muscles of the uterine wall. The dosage is about 800mg of dry extract corresponding to 1 or 2 capsules per day, or in the form of mother tincture 20-40 drops 2 or 3 times a day.

Cannabis and anxiety

Cannabis for anxiety

Cannabis is made up of over 400 compounds and among these are over 140 known cannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the best characterized exogenous cannabinoids and are known for their psychoactive and anxiolytic properties, respectively. These compounds interact with the endocannabinoid system, which has been shown to be important for both the development and modulation of synaptic transmission involved in the management of emotional states, stress responses and cognition.Cannabidiol has proved to be a powerful ally against anxiety. as well as much safer and less invasive than many drugs that are administered in these cases. With a few drops of CBD oil it is possible to benefit from the relaxing properties of cannabidiol, to release the state of physical and emotional tension and relax the muscles. In addition, CBD is also a powerful antiemetic, which also makes it effective for counteracting the feeling of nausea that often accompanies anxiety attacks. On the dosage there are no precise and universally valid indications for everyone, as well as on the concentration of the active ingredient in the oil: for those who frequently experience this type of discomfort it is advisable to try a slightly higher concentration, such as that of CBD oil 15 % and to start with about 3 drops a day and then increase it over time if the quantity is insufficient.

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