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What is the best herbal remedy for Social Anxiety? ?

I am currently taking St. John’s Wort for depression. I am looking for something that might make me view people in a more positive light (i.e. people to have fun with, not just something that provokes fear). I am also doing CBT, exercising, and following a healthy diet.

Certain herbs do exhibit potent anti-anxiety effects, and a handful of herbal remedies for anxiety have been proven to effectively relieve anxiety when manufactured properly and administered in the proper dosages. The herbal remedies for anxiety most likely to successfully relieve your anxiety are those containing herbs backed by solid clinical research (i.e. shown to effectively reduce anxiety in multiple well-designed studies). And it’s absolutely critical to take an herbal anxiety remedy that provides herbal extracts in the proven doses and potencies.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is one herb shown to relieve anxiety in clinical trials. Standardized Valerian extracts with a minimum of 0.8% valerenic acid, the active constituent, work best. Valerian extract works rapidly, often in less than an hour, when taken in doses of a few hundred milligrams, and can be taken up to three or four times per day.

L-theanine, an amino acid derived from Green Tea, is another herbal anxiety remedy with a significant anti-anxiety effect. Many people report that L-theanine works as well as prescription anti-anxiety medications, but L-theanine is not addictive or habit-forming.

Studies also suggest that Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) is effective for anxiety and related conditions. As with Valerian, it’s important to use a standardized Passion Flower extract with at least 3-4% vitexin. An herbal anxiety remedy that combines Passion Flower and Valerian extracts will be more effective than either herb taken alone.


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February 04 2010 09:24 pm | herbal anxiety

9 Responses to “What is the best herbal remedy for Social Anxiety? ?”

  1. Ratty Fan Says:

    Kava Kava — relaxes the muscles and promotes easy communication. People in Hawaii have used it for centuries before big meetings or parties, and they also drink it like coffee. There have been accounts of it doing bad things to the liver, but that was on people who already had severe liver damage (and that specific product was harvesting the wrong part of the root). An average person should have no trouble with it.

    The one difference in how you’d make kava kava beverage is that you don’t spit in it — the old tradition of how to make it in hawaii they did. I’m not sure if they still do not or not, lol.

    You can take the powder and heat it up in a blender with some coconut milk and pineapple juice, its really good. It will make your tongue feel a little bit more numb, and then a few minutes later you will feel more relaxed and conversational. Its not a narcotic and there aren’t really any side effects as long as you don’t drink a gallon of it, and you drink some water along with it since it is like caffeine ONLY in that it dehydrates the body slightly. Even then the worse you could get is a headache.
    References :
    I’ve used this herb several times and I love Kava!

  2. Sylph Says:

    Certain herbs do exhibit potent anti-anxiety effects, and a handful of herbal remedies for anxiety have been proven to effectively relieve anxiety when manufactured properly and administered in the proper dosages. The herbal remedies for anxiety most likely to successfully relieve your anxiety are those containing herbs backed by solid clinical research (i.e. shown to effectively reduce anxiety in multiple well-designed studies). And it’s absolutely critical to take an herbal anxiety remedy that provides herbal extracts in the proven doses and potencies.

    Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is one herb shown to relieve anxiety in clinical trials. Standardized Valerian extracts with a minimum of 0.8% valerenic acid, the active constituent, work best. Valerian extract works rapidly, often in less than an hour, when taken in doses of a few hundred milligrams, and can be taken up to three or four times per day.

    L-theanine, an amino acid derived from Green Tea, is another herbal anxiety remedy with a significant anti-anxiety effect. Many people report that L-theanine works as well as prescription anti-anxiety medications, but L-theanine is not addictive or habit-forming.

    Studies also suggest that Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) is effective for anxiety and related conditions. As with Valerian, it’s important to use a standardized Passion Flower extract with at least 3-4% vitexin. An herbal anxiety remedy that combines Passion Flower and Valerian extracts will be more effective than either herb taken alone.

    References :
    http://seredyn.com/zzherbalremedyforanxiety.html

  3. karina Says:

    There is also Bach’s Rescue Remedy and Cat Nip tea available in health food stores. Bach’s can also be used for animals, a few drops for people and animals is sufficient. Cat Nip is calming for people but not for cats as we well know. You could also try Kava Kava. Good luck
    References :

  4. thorn105 Says:

    Valerian capsules have worked for me in the past.
    References :

  5. i love jonnyboy! x-X-x Says:

    Valerian. Don’t use hops because they make you depressed
    References :

  6. bl685 Says:

    meditation….it will help loosen the numerous supressed thought causing anxiety, look it up….Deepak Chopra is a well known M.D. and his work will def guide u through the door of enlightenment/no anxiety.
    References :

  7. lol21t Says:

    The CBT should help you if you put it to work EVERY DAY. This book really helped me alot…

    The Anxiety and phobia workbook by Dr. Bourne. (It’s CBT in one)

    I also like Lemon Balm for nervous stomach and I heard Valerian can help with anxiety. Watch out though, because some things can really interact with St. John’s Wort. Ask your doctor about the interactions.
    References :

  8. Clayton B Says:

    Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.

    Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.
    But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called "St John’s Wort" – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.

    The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that "learned behavior" in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction… There are several other techniques to help cope them!
    Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to….

    Extracted from Source.
    References :
    http://PanicAttackResearch.blogspot.com

  9. Opie K Says:

    Panicyl is what I recommend. It sounds like you’re doing everything else right. Hope this helps!
    References :
    http://www.panicyl.com/Social_Anxiety_Disorder.html

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