Can anyone recommend a natural remedy to take for anxiety? I have been researching St Johns Wort but wonder if that is more for depression? I do carry Rescue Remedy but do not find that particularly helps. I have the odd massage, exercise, read self help books but just feel in a state of anxiety most of the time. It has quite a lot to do with my younger daughter starting high school.
Thank you L of the V 🙁
I am not a fan of St. John's Wort. It may be ok for short term usage, but long term usage can be a causative factor in depression. This herb creates sun sensitivity. Please do look up contraindications for use of St. John's Wort. This herb can interfere with pharmaceutical efficacy, if one is taking prescription medications.
Vitamin Bs govern the emotions. Lack of Vit. B6 can cause anxiety. Vit. B complex is a good remedy for balancing emotions and controlling stress. B12 is best taken as a liquid placed under the tongue, or as a nasal gel. It needs to absorb directly into the bloodstream to be properly utilized by the body. I like to take Brewer's Yeast tablets, plus a liquid form of B12.
By the way, antacids deplete the body of B vitamins. Anybody who takes Tums or other antacid tablets needs to replace the Vit. B being robbed from their bodies.
Exercise helps to control stress and anxiety. Twenty minutes of exercise a day could make a good difference.
There are lots of nutrients for anxiety - magnesium is my favourite. If you do a search for magnesium under my posts you will find I post a bit obsessively about this nutrient (!) and you'll find my recommendations re dosage. Ditto if you search for kvdp and epsom salts (specifically as a foot soak) - very relaxing, and you'll absorb magnesium via the skin of the feet.
Another thing that I love - and if ever I go through hell-on-earth days I live on this stuff: chamomile tea. I drink strong cup after strong cup of it. Chamomile has no effect on some people, but for me it's like a soft warm blanket. One of my friends gets no reprieve from chamomile and prefers valerian. You may wish to try this - which also comes as a tea, but he takes it as a tincture. For me though it knocks me out and makes me feel comatose. So, everyone has a different physiology!
Yes, I'd agree with dogwoman - B vitamins are excellent to calm the nerves. They are involved in nerve transmission, so if you are low in some (thiamine and B6) you will feel twitchy and anxious because nerves aren't firing smoothly. Magnesium is also involved in nerve transmission, hence its use in reducing anxiety.
Ava x
Oh, re St John's Wort. Increasingly I am seeing it used as a tincture for viruses... specifically HPV and herpes. Some people strongly advocate it for depression, but that's a bit too similar to the pharmaceutical model for me. Whilst it isn't entirely clear what the mechanism is for St Johns Wort it is believed to be similar to SSRI drugs... i.e. it prevents the reuptake of serotonin.
My preference is for 5HTP - which in the presence of vitamin c and B6 is a precursor of serotonin. So, your body assembles the serotonin it needs, as it needs it - rather than messing about with what's released and reuptaken a al the SSRI model. Plus if you take St John's Wort or SSRIs you are likely to cause imbalances in other neurochemicals... specifically noradrenalin... and you'll get a whole new suite of depression symptoms. Easily resolved by supplementing with tyrosine... but nevertheless you have to be vigilant... or under the guidance of a competent nutritionist.
There is also a lot of buzz about EPAs (fish oil derivative) for mood disorders. are the ones making the most noise. Perhaps it might be worth having a look at those?
Ava x
Ava can I just ask you re the magnesium, which one would you recommend and have also seen info on cal/mag having many side effects.Would 4 to 6 weeks be a recommended time frame for benefits to be observed as an average time frame.
walnut flowere remedy is a great support with significant life changes such as your daughter going to High School
Are you picking up some of her anxiety do you think..if so, you could both take some
tigress
Hi star99
This is the supplement I would recommend: [DLMURL="http://www.jgsupplements.com/products/Magnesium-Citrate-227g-(8oz)-Powder.html"]magnesium citrate powder[/DLMURL]. I'd suggest buying some cheap plastic measuring spoons, and using the 1/2 teaspoon one do the following:
1/2 teaspoon in 250ml liquid (not milk) before breakfast
1/2 teaspoon in 250ml liquid (not milk) before dinner
1/2 teaspoon in 250ml liquid (not milk) before bed
Magnesium is safe to take, if you are eating a healthy balanced diet. It's easy to tell if you are taking too much because of the bowel tolerance... i.e. you will get loose bowels. If that happens gradually reduce your dosage until your bowels return to 'normal'. As your magnesium status improves you may find all you need is 1/2 teaspoon every day or second day.
Please have a look at this website - Calm Natural. There's a lot of information about magnesium and anxiety. Don't buy that supplement though. It's got lots of fillers in it - which you are paying for - and each teaspoon contains the same amount of magnesium citrate as 1/2 a teaspoon of the product I've linked to (which is just pure magnesium citrate)... so Calm Natural has half a teaspoon of gumpf per teaspoon! But if you want to start with that product (very expensive) then double the dose I've recommended (i.e. 1 teaspoon of Calm Natural 3 times a day).
Re how long it would take to feel the effects? I'd expect you to feel calmer within a couple of hours. It's a pure product, and it just has to get to your intestines and into the bloodstream. Once your blood magnesium picks up it'll be carried to muscles and organs. The dose that you take at bedtime will help you sleep. You can mix it with warm water, or warm drinks... and it tastes a bit sour. Don't mix it with milk because of the calcium. Magnesium aids the absorption of calcium... which means that valuable magnesium will be used for that purpose rather than reducing your anxiety, improving your sleep, relaxing your muscles.
Sorry, if that's a bit of information overload!
Oh, and the other option is to put a full cup of Epsom salts in a bowl of warm water and soak your feet in it until the water cools (30mins?). This is a suggestion by kvdp. Magnesium will be absorbed into your bloodstream via the skin in your feet. Likewise you'll feel the effects quite quickly.
Ava x
Ergg... correction: TWO teaspoons of Calm Natural contains the same amount of magnesium citrate as 1/2 teaspoon of pure magnesium citrate (350mg)!
Thanks Ava, wondeful information, we have 'Holland and Barett' opened in our town so I will try there, thanks again.
Hi star99
Holland & Barrett do sell magnesium citrate, but only in 100mg tablets. They are huge, and contain lots of crap (fillers and binders). I don't think tablets work as well as the powder because your body has to process/excrete all the fillers in order to access the magnesium citrate.
Clearly, if you have your heart set on buying tablets then that's fine. But if you want the powder the company that I linked to are pretty good.
Good luck, and let us know how you go.
Ava x
No Ava I will go with the powder, will check your link again,brilliant:):)
There's a ready made herbal remedy known as Kalms available in health shops...it usually works very well to allay anxiety and quite a few of my friends and clients swear by it..you may want to try this.
Kaif
Can anyone recommend a natural remedy to take for anxiety? I have been researching St Johns Wort but wonder if that is more for depression? I do carry Rescue Remedy but do not find that particularly helps.
I[COLOR="Indigo"]f you don't find Rescue Remedy helpful, I think you need to look at why you are anxious and consider using appropriate Bach flower remedy. As you know why you are anxious, concern for your daughter, I'd suggest Mimulus and Red Chestnut as a place to start. Take a look perhaps at the Bach Centre site
If I can be of any more help, let me know 🙂
Barbara BFRP
Hi, there are homeopathic remedies that could help but you'd really need to be more specific about the anxiety, to choose the best one for you. Hom
Hi star99
Holland & Barrett do sell magnesium citrate, but only in 100mg tablets. They are huge, and contain lots of crap (fillers and binders). I don't think tablets work as well as the powder because your body has to process/excrete all the fillers in order to access the magnesium citrate.
Clearly, if you have your heart set on buying tablets then that's fine. But if you want the powder the company that I linked to are pretty good.
Good luck, and let us know how you go.
Ava x
Was chatting to someone today about this and she has just found out she is pregnant,is it safe for her to take it,not as a treatment for anything just for well being?:)
Hi star99
Yes, magnesium citrate is perfectly safe to take during pregnancy. I've linked to a page on the Calm Natural site about [url]Magnesium for Pregnancy[/url]. Note: I'm only referring to this company because of their commercial website - which can make someone unsure about magnesium citrate feel more relaxed about it when they read some of the pages.
The Calm Natural company has a Mama Calm product designed specifically for pre-natal and nursing phases. She may wish to think about buying something like that, if she wants to get the OK from her GP/midwife... again, because they would be more likely to accept a product branded for pregnancy, than the pure magnesium citrate powder. They will of course be giving her guidance on maintaining a healthy nutrient-rich diet - which is important if you are taking isolated nutrients.
Ava x
Anxiety
I was just about to post on this subject when I can across this thread. The information is so helpful for me as I would like to offer some advice to some clients regarding anxiety. One question however, is about PKD. Is magnesium a safe supplement for someone with the condition and also what about epsom salts. I am not sure it is advisable for anyone with a kidney condition. Any advice would be great.
Why not try EFT? Supplements may be beneficial, but if there is an underlying emotional issue, EFT can help with that and therefore the anxiety.
That's very true Derek. I think you are right to stress that whilst it is helpful to take supplements which deal with the physical symptoms of stress - you are quite right to reinforce that you should also try to address the cause of your anxiety. If you practise something like EFT/yoga/meditation/whatever to reduce your current anxiety levels - you could wait until your magnesium levels return to normal by themselves. However low magnesium status takes months to correct, so you'd be waiting a long time.
My view is to take the right supplements for your health condition, follow a healthy diet and lifestyle - and have the right therapy to support your condition. The right therapy/therapist will help you identify and address the cause of your condition. The other things (supplements, diet, lifestyle) will support your body whilst you do so.
Ava x
Great advice regarding EFT. I have used it many times however I am looking for specific information regarding PKD and magnesium supplements and epsom salt baths.
My understanding of PKD is that epsom salts would not be advisable but thats only from memory I would like some feedback regarding this particular issue and not a general remedy for anxiety.
I some times feel that a client may not necessarily be aware they are suffering from stress or anxiety. Many clients have come to me as a first step in the direction of complementary therapies and are very new to the concept so it not ideal to suggest they start tapping. I would usually introduce that at a later stage if at all, depending on the client. But thanks for the reminder.
Hi JD. I admit that I know nothing about PKD. If you've been advised by your nephrologist to not add Epsom Salts to your bath water then I'm not in a position to advise against that. I'd be interested to hear why he thinks that though? Do you think that it might it be because he thinks that Epsom Salts contain sodium chloride?
Ava x
The suggestion of magnesium citrate was a good one, this is an acidified type of magnesium. You should avoid oxide/hydroxide which is poorly absorbed and is caustic which means it burns/irritates the intestinal wall. If you can afford it then ancient minerals magnesium oil is great.
Gotu kola herbal powder is one of the best herbs ive found so far for anxiety, it also helps support the adrenal glands and has a rich content of the B complex vitamins.
Ashwagandha root powder i also good i find, it works by intensifying GABA which produces a calm/anti-anxiety feeling. It also supports the adrenal glands so helps in that case also.
Why not try EFT? Supplements may be beneficial, but if there is an underlying emotional issue, EFT can help with that and therefore the anxiety.
Agree with this; might be an idea to get some talking therapy support as well as supplementation?
There are many available..
CBT
Hypnotherapy
EFT etc..
Also speak to your GP see if in your local area there is an IAPT service, they can offer free CBT and Counselling.
Danny 🙂
This was edited by admin which removed the whole point of the post. I'm out of here!
I hope you feel better soon - you can do it 🙂
Just a note to the above edit.
Because I could not find a way to attach a PDF showing you the procedure, I put it up on a hidden page on my site for you to download. How else I was meant to do it, I have no idea.
Sorry, but there you go.
I am out of here.
Hope you feel much better soon.
~ Jacqui
valerian day time tablets are good there not as strong as normal valerian but thats good thing otherwise it will make u more sleepy, your not drinking too much coffee or green tea are you? and decaf coffee is still stimulating so best to avoid 🙂 hope this helps
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