Effective Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Magnesium

Posted by Bj (Michigan, Usa) on 05/26/2015
★★★★★

The best supplement that I have used for chronic anxiety is magnesium chloride. I use a pinch (about 1/8-1/4 teaspoon), I usually put it in juice or hot molasses tea that I make to take my pure powdered vitamins. But I have dissolved it in 1/2 cup of water and swallowed quickly as it tastes terrible. Other types of magnesium do not work for my anxiety. Magnesium chloride has removed the 'what ifs', the racing thoughts, the chronic worry and the insomnia, especially when I take it before bed. It has also worked well for restless leg syndrome. I have taken it up to 3 times a day but usually no more than twice.

Now I just take it a few times a week or when I feel I need it. It will cause diarrhea so if this happens just cut back. I get aquarium grade pure magnesium chloride as there are no additives and tropical fish owners are well aware of how sensitive and valuable their fish are and so the supplements they use are high quality. I hope you find relief soon, as I do understand the debilitating cycle anxiety can be. ~Bj~

Alkaline pH

Posted by Wendy (Barrie, Ontario Canada) on 10/04/2008
★★★★★

Anxiety/Panic Attacks/ph balancing

My dh and I moved 1000 miles away to the middle of nowhere (seriously) with 2 small kids, for him to take a job working 80+hrs a week...in JANUARY! The dog died, the car died, my daughter burnt her arm on the woodstove, we were isolated etc. and of course for 3 months I tried every natural remedy to save our dog to no avail. So when I suddenly went to emerg one night with a racing heart that I couldn't slow down, the sweats, shakes and dizziness, I thought for sure I was having a heart attack...heck I am 40 after all! They gave me an adavan that I didn't take and told me to go home and relax with all the stress in my life. Although everyone kept telling me I was in emotional turmoil...for me there had to be another concrete reason, I had handled way worse in my life and heck it wasn't like I lived in a war torn country or anything...nutritionally I mean, or lack thereof.

I had been drinking black tea again to cope with the dog, the move etc. so it was the first to go with the result being less frequent attacks. So with the help of a guy in Nova Scotia I learned about PH balancing and the work of Dr. Carey Reams. I started balancing my ph each day and if it was 7ish I felt awesome, if it was acid I felt awful. Any sweetener- even honey affected me greatly on the acid side. Then I added in a green supplement from a doctor in Barrie Ontario. On his advice I also started taking a concentrated mineral supplement (the most popular one on the market he recommended) and I started with 1 drop 2x a day, then 2 drops 2x a day and so on. He said I would have loose stools when I reached enough. He said rarely some of his clients could handle 40-60 drops a day. THIS was ME! I was taking 30 drops 2x a day with no loose stools- AND I felt like a million bucks....and NO more panic attacks- ever. woohoo. Then I moved on to zeolite which got back my 5 yr flagging libido and life was incredibly awesome... of course I ended up pregnant with my 3rd, but it's all good and i'm still feeling awesome with no return of the horrifying panic attacks. Incidentlly I tried homeopathics, herbal tinctures, herbal teas, acv, baking soda etc. nothing worked but the constant paying attention of the day to day ph morning and night of my saliva and urine and taking the concentrated minerals. Believe me, for anyone going thru these you'll do just about anything to make them stop!!!

Cold Showers

Posted by Marc (Toronto, Canada) on 02/28/2007
★★★★★

I've been suffering from anxiety and depression for years, and recently I've started to get panic attacks. I finally got motivated to start researching my problem on my own because I've discovered that doctors (at least the ones I've been too) are useless.

I've discovered a lot of useful information on this website, but what really caught my eye is the cold shower therapy. I've never taken a cold shower in my life so I tried it today. Honestly, I've never felt so great. I don't know what it did to me, but I got a terrible fit of the giggles that lasted half an hour. I feel a lot better, and motivated, which is rare for me especially in the morning. I'll keep it up and see what else happens, but I definitely recommend trying it, for whatever reason. And Thank You for this great website!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Berry (Washington,DC) on 08/29/2005
★★★★★

a tablespoon of vinegar in a half glass of warm water is good for calming my emotions. if i drink it when something has gotten on my nerves. It takes effect immediately. Try it

Serpina

Posted by Joseph (Stockton, CA) on 10/22/2021 73 posts
★★★★★

For Anxiety, calmness of the mind, insomnia, etc., please try Indian Ayurvedic Serpina (Indian Snakeroot) sold in India, and at USA Amazon. Dosage: 1-3 pills daily, if severe anxiety use 2 pills 3X daily or 3 pills in am & 3 pills in pm. Dosages are 4mg each. One of the Best products ever, helps mental illness, psychosis, high blood pressure. My comments are most likely meant for current members. Questions feel free to ask. Thank you

Magnesium

Posted by Ray (Memphis, Tn) on 12/11/2016
★★★★★

I found researched about anxiety and panic for years and have found that magnesium plays a huge role in adrenal system (as well as vitamin b deficiencies). Epsom salt baths, celtic sea salt are both very good for also getting magnesium into the diet. Since the soils are so depleted in minerals due to pesticides, etc, is one of the biggest reasons we are so magnesium deficient no matter how many veggies we consume. Everyone is so depleted in magnesium also because most diets are filled with additives, chemicals, processed sugar and flour along with coffee (caffeine depletes minerals esp magnesium- from our bodies making anxiety much more prone than ever before.). Stress also plays a huge role but diet is always number 1.

Rhodiola

Posted by Tony (Tenn., US) on 09/19/2014

One word of caution for those wanting to try Rhodiola. I tried it for my panic attacks & anxiety but I got worse.

After doing extensive reading about Rhodiola, I found out the reason why. If you have adrenal issues the supplement will make you actually worse with these symptoms.

There is a way at home to test the adrenal glands. You ain't gonna get this from any traditional medicine doctor.

Take your BP 3 times within 10 minutes. Set down somewhere & relax for about 5 minutes. Take your BP. Wait 5 minutes & do it again. Immediately stand up & take it again. If your BP doesn't go up at least a few points for both top(systolic) & bottom(diastolic) then you have adrenal issues.

You need to do this for a few consecutive days though to get a good adrenal tests. Your BP should actually go up around 10 points for both. The less the numbers go up then the more serious the adrenal issues. If the numbers go down then you're in pretty serious adrenal crisis.

My adrenals have been in pretty bad shape for a while. I used this very testing to determine the seriousness of my adrenal issues. If you're in adrenal fatigue, taking rhodiola will only make matters worse.

First, you will need to take something for the adrenals like cortisol or hydro-cortisone(preferably bio-identical) to help support the adrenals along with Vit. C or find a supplement for the adrenals that have these nutrients. Let me just tell you straight up folks.

Once the adrenals get fatigued/in crisis then they are hard to get back the functioning. I'm a living & walking witness for this folks! Stress has taken a toll on my adrenals. We have to find ways to deal with stress properly because sooner or later the adrenals will crash & then you're in even bigger trouble.

Once you get the adrenals under control then you can add rhodiola for the treatment of panic attacks & anxiety. I too found out that theraputic doses of iodine caused me more trouble than benefit. This was because my adrenals were fatigued. Every time I tried higher doses of iodine I would get worse with anxiety & panic attacks.

Supplements can be good for a lot of things but there are factors that need to be addressed before actually diving into taking them. I've learned a lot here at EC but by investigating myself has helped me even more. Even though Bill here at EC advised me to take iodine in higher doses he didn't know how serious of an adrenal problem I was going through so we have to look into matters more thoroughly ourselves before making an even bigger mistake. Thanks & God Bless you guys!

5-HTP

Posted by Cindy (Orange County, California) on 09/04/2011
★★★★★

I was having terrible IBS symptoms along with extreme anxiety. I started taking 5-htp on the advice of my naturopathic doctor. Within 1-2 weeks, my IBS reduced substantially and my anxiety lessened dramatically. I felt great everyday with a more stable, consistent mood than I have ever felt in my life.

According to my doctor, a large proportion of serotonin either resides or is made in your gut (I forget which) so it makes sense that it helped my IBS. When I started, I was taking 200 mg each morning. It didn't help me sleep though, in fact it kept me wide awake. After taking for about a year or so, I started feeling very ill every morning. It took me a long time to figure out it was the 5-htp. However, my general health has improved much over the past year and I have now cut the dose back to 50 mg per day and can handle it fine. My doctor told me my system probably did not need as much now and this is perhaps why larger doses were making me so ill.

Rhodiola

Posted by Angelika (Schaumburg, Il) on 09/09/2010
★★★★★

I take Rhodiola in instances where I feel anxious or a bout of anxiety is taking over. Rhodiola is amazing! I do not like taking prescription medication and this is a wonderful alternative!

5-HTP

Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver) on 10/24/2021
★★★★★

I successfully transitioned from an anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medication(Paxil) to 5HTP-50mg by gradually reducing Paxil by 50% each day while increasing 5HTP TO 50mg. The whole weaning process took about four days. Note: experts say an anti-anxiety ant-depressant should never be stopped suddenly and I agree. I tried that once and found myself doing some irrational things.

CAUTION: I did find when I increased the 5HTP to 100mg, it actually increased my anxiety. This happened when my health food store brought in 100mg strength instead of the usual 50mg strength. Fortunately I realised what was happening and split the remainder in half and everything was fine from there on.

Niacinamide

Posted by Ruthann (Bellmawr, Nj) on 09/21/2009
★★★★★

I have had a hard time calming my mind and body my whole life. Anxiety has been with me for as long as I can remember and I just had tried to live with it. It is an awful feeling when one just can not rest. It would be like my mind running around a million miles a second and me unable to focus ect. My most recent foray into educating myself with natural methods has turned me to the work of Dr. Abram Hoffer and Niacinamide. I bought this and all I can say is WOW! It has definitely worked on my anxious feelings and inability to focus. I currently take 1000mg three times a day and feel so wonderful.....better than when I was on benzodiazepines, as they left me feeling wiped out and dependant on them.....I also take a high quality whole food bound vitamin B complex and zinc.

Occassionally I will take some ground flax and mix it with cottage cheese or into a smoothie.....I tend to think that a solution lies in a nice balance of things, not just one thing. I also believe that I have food allergies that exacerbate these anxiety states.....however getting off of bread has been quite a challenge for me. But I am a work in progress! I hope this information helps someone else!!!!

5-HTP

Posted by Stefanie (Minden, Louisiana) on 07/17/2008
★★★★★

I found this remedy when I was looking for herbal remedies for my daily headaches. I found 5-HTP. According to the article,some of the things it helped with are insomnia, headaches, anxiety & depression. I thought could it be? I immediately went to my husband to show him what I had found because he had problems sleeping at night as well. We went a few days later to our local drug store and picked up a bottle of 50mg. 5-HTP. We had decided on the lowest dosage available in our area, upping the dosage as we went along if it was necessary. We have only been on it for a few days now but there is a very noticeable difference. We both have been sleeping through the night and feeling more refreshed when we wake. My anxiety attacks are gone as well as my headaches. We both are much less snappish than what we were before. We haven't noticed any side effects so far. We are taking them with a meal or a small snack and so far we have stayed at 50mg. Thanks for the very useful information that lead to this discovery!

5-HTP

Posted by Molly (Madison, USA) on 04/11/2008
0 out of 5 stars

WARNING!

One time I purchased a bottle of 5-htp, and after taking one capsule morning & evening, just twice, I threw the bottle away. My reaction to 5-htp was horrific; upon further research I learned that high levels of serotonin are associated with SEVERE ANXIETY. I also read that the spice ginger is a serotonin antagonist, so I have a bottle on hand, just in case I ever feel so anxious ever again.

Then I read somewhere online that there is a set of people whose depression responds to Acetyl L-Carnitine, they said the depression lifted in these people when using 3-4 grams a day, and to take two grams of acetylcarnitine on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning.

This amino acid is the most amazing substance; I've never been able to take more than 2 grams per day - there is such great mental clarity, there is utter inability to be depressed, but there simultaneously is no euphoria - just calm lucid clarity. I've read that it assists the brain in making many different neurotransmitters - so it is not anything, not anything at all like 5-htp which floods the brain with serotonin - which, if you don't need it, might create severe anxiety.

Rhodiola

Posted by RR (Vancouver, Canada) on 02/21/2008
★★★★★

Rhodiola is amazing! I've been taking rr for about 6 months with fantastic improvements. I suffer from major anxiety/stress disorder, minor depression, was taking effexor xr for 5 years prior to this wonderful herb..the effexor caused me to gain 35lbs, made me sweat heavily, and actually gave me more anxiety, the sweating is still a problem, but is getting much better since taking rhodiola, almost gone, except when i get really anxious - socially, i start to sweat from my head/face..which is pretty dam embarrassing..DONT TAKE EFFEXOR! as this never happened before even with the anxiety i had.
Since taking rhodiola and stopping the effexor..i've lost the 35lbs that i gained..alot faster then iv'e ever lost weight before...so YES..it does help you lose weight..as long as you exercise hard and eat reasonably healthy. I dont eat that great, still eat pizza,wings, and drink beer occasionally. Just cut that deep fried food..mcd's etc to a minimum. EXERCISE is the key to losing weight with this herb, although when i took a break from working out...i still dropped a couple pounds.

Thanks to rhodiola, i'm almost back to my old self, except for this lingering little bit of anxiety. rhodiola works best with other herbs, acutally makes those other herbs work better then if u were to take them alone. My stress is so dramatically reduced, i almost feel normal again.

I'm currently on the search for the best combination to combat this left over anxiety issue, looks like i'll try 5-htp as people seem to have success with this combo.

I've been using the Arctic Root brand, from proactivebio, and currently trying out the
Ameriden brand..just google ameriden..you'll find it...apparantly its from Siberia where this
root was first discovered.

And as far as i know..you cannot grow it properly here, the active compounds will not be present
if grown here, needs that cold arctic condition to grow properly.

U have nothing but to benefit from taking this herb. I'm getting my whole family on it now!

and usually takes about 2-3 weeks before you really notice the effects!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Scott (Paradise, California) on 09/11/2007
★★★★★

Hi. I am a new user of ACV and am very pleased and surprised at the way it is helped me to feel better. I know that I have always struggled with candidiasis, but never got the complete relief from it using other remedies. The ACV has made an incredible difference in how I feel. I have also experienced the other benefits of increased energy, decreased anxiety, better sleep. However, there is one concern I have that I hope someone can help me with. Sometimes when I take the ACV it seems to upset my stomach. Help! I really value this remedy, but I'm concerned about stomach upset. Thanks.

Cold Showers

Posted by Bryon (Cincinnati, OH) on 07/09/2007
★★★★★

I started cold showers about three or four weeks ago and I love them now. They seem to help me get rejuvenated in the morning and I have had less anxiety. Everyone should try them.

B12, Folic Acid, 5-HTP and Altoids

Posted by Justin (Port St. Lucie) on 08/22/2006
★★★★★

I was under constant attack from anxiety, and depression was setting in because of it. I saw a therapist who taught me about positive thinking and ways to get myself out of a panic attack. It kinda worked but was a constant effort to always be managing my moods and still fighting random panic attacks. I started self medicating with a popular narcotic made to ease anxiety. We all know it as a small white rectangular pill. I became dependant and my tolerance built up way to high. I lost my job, and almost my wife and kid because of that stupid pill! I checked myself into a rehab...mainly to get it out of my system while in a secure, stable environment. My mind was definetly set on getting that pill out of my life so it was easy to kick. When I got out I was so scared of my anxiety coming back...and it did! I then remembered someone telling me about B-12 and Folic Acid as a natural cure for anxiety. I went to the store found the vitamins and saw it was like $6 for a 3 months supply and said "what the heck, I'll try it".....2 years later only one ten minute panic attack! The one I did have was after a night of drinking and did not take my vitamins...so def. my own fault. I take 500mcgs of B-12 and 400 mcgs of Folic Acid twice a day (i'm a big guy) I rarely, very rarely even think of my anxiety.

I have also, overtime, added a supplement called 5-htp and always carry around Altoids. I take the 5-htp when it just feels like things aren't going my way, and within an hour I am as giddy as a 3yr old watching blues clues! The Altoids help me out just whenever, they give me my own personal break from everything. The freshness it gives just puts everything back on a balanced level. The extreme peppermint taste relaxes me. I pop one in before any stressfull meeting, event, issue and i'ts like my own personal shield from stress!

As a side note since taking these new vitamins I have only been sick with a cold for one day out of 2 years! I have not gotten a single sore throat, flu, ear ache...Everyone in my family can be sick and I get nothing! I feel invincible! Smiling more.