Top Herbal Remedies for Anxiety
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What is anxiety?
Everyone suffers from anxiety whether it’s from the “flight or fight” response or a general condition of neurosis, which is a state of anxiety that can take over a person. Anxiety is fear or apprehension when you are faced with danger or uncontrolled fear. It’s the body’s natural (and healthy) response to letting the body take care of you.
This flight or fight response is a leftover from when humans were hunters and the hunted. Today, however, instead of being attacked by bears or mountain lions, humans are attacked by thieves, muggers, and terrorists. The response is the same. The body takes over and pours a shot of adrenaline into your system. It momentary takes over your brain and allows you to flee from danger.
There are other types of anxiety such as chronic anxiety with a constant feeling of worrying, a connected fear associated with depression, or an acute anxiety that will suddenly besiege you with fear and a feeling of dread.
When the threatening situation occurs, adrenaline pours into your body preparing it for action. If no action follows this flooding of adrenaline and the nervous energy is not set free, the brain is physiologically confused, and this is otherwise known as a panic attack. A person can suffer from so much anxiety that they begin to show signs of adrenal fatigue, which is too much adrenaline in the system, and the body stops responding to the fear. In other words, it wears out the adrenal gland.
Symptoms of Anxiety or Panic Attacks
Symptoms include dizziness, visual disturbance, clammy hands, racing heart, dry mouth, and over breathing.
A persistent state of anxiety can sap energy and self perpetuate you into a constant state of anxiety. You’ll feel tightness in the chest, suffer from high blood pressure, have abdominal pain plus diarrhea, and you also suffer through insomnia and loss of appetite.
Statistics on Panic Attacks
Up to 70% of people who have panic attack end up seeing as many as ten to twelve physicians before being correctly diagnosed. Anxiety appears to affect twice as many women as men. Evidence exists that some people may be biochemically vulnerable to panic attacks. There is also a theory of the chemicals and additives in food can increase the symptoms of anxiety. However, no studies have been done to prove this theory.
The National Center of Health reports drugs for anxiety disorders are among the 20 drugs most frequently prescribed by doctors. In a study by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, reports more than 9 million Britons suffer from abnormal anxiety and fears at some point in their lives. Anxiety can cause other psychological disorders, including phobias, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorders, and post traumatic stress disorders.
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Use Herbal Remedies To Help Panic Attacks
Herbal Remedies for Anxiety
Herbs are far more gentle, safer and non-addictive than drugs are for the body. They have relaxant properties that drugs do not, but they also nourish and strengthen the nervous system. There are hundreds of home remedies for anxiety. The key is to find one that works best for you as everyone is different and herbs work differently on each person. The secret to using healing herbs is to take them until you no longer need them, whether it’s a few months or a few years.
Aromatherapy
A relaxing blend of essential oils of lavender, geranium, and bergamot in sweet almond oil or peach kernel oil may be used in the bath at times of great stress and anxiety. You can also mix any of these essential oils with a carrier oil and massage them into your skin where they will be absorbed into your body.
Home/Folk Remedies
One natural healing remedy is preventative in nature. Oats contain thiamin and pantothenic acid, which act as gentle nerve tonics. Eat a bowl everyday to keep your anxiety level down.
Flower Essence
Bach flower essences – developed by Dr. Edward Bach while working in a London hospital when he noticed several groups of people reacted the same way toward illness. He identified 7 main negative states and then found 12 flower remedies to counteract the negative responses. To date, they are the best flower remedies for anxiety. Rescue Remedy is used by many to keep their anxiety levels down.
Flower remedies are often dismissed as being a placebo, nor do they work in any biochemical way because no part of the plant is in the remedy. However, flower remedies do work, this is an indisputable fact, but most don’t know how or even why they work, just that they do. Some think it gives the body a kick start to the healing process.
Remedies are usually prescribed according to the personal characteristics of the sufferer and the cause and nature of the anxiety: Try elm for anxiety if it is accompanying with a feeling of being unable to cope. Red chestnut works for anxiety over the welfare of others. Aspen is for anxiety that has no apparent reason and you can use Rescue Remedy during attacks.
Chinese Herbalism
Chinese herbalists suggest taking ginseng, Chinese angelica, and white peony root with thorowax root for relaxation. Treatment would be designed to strengthen the spleen and enliven liver Qi.
Herbal Remedies
Herbal remedies would be used to calm the nervous system and to generally relax you. Skullcap, valerian, and hops are the most useful herbs, blended together for best effect. Drink this tea three times a day while suffering anxiety symptoms or you can use a tincture.
You can also combine any of the following together or use them as single herbs.
- Kava Kava
- Passionflower
- Ginger
- Chamomile
- Licorice
There are other remedies besides herbal of course. The Linden Method, for instance, is completely natural and drug free.
