# Question about herbs?



## newboki (Sep 13, 2009)

Hi guys. Anyone here that knows anything about herbs could you suggest me some good herb for well-being, that has some clinical proof and history for treatment for anxiety. I am already interested in Ashwagandha thx. Plz just don't include st john wart.


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## lazySOB (Jan 27, 2010)

anxiety can be caused by a lot of different things. you should describe what other symptoms and problems you have and see if it strikes a chord with someone else. maybe they can then suggest what supplements they have tried. 

i think its always prudent to stay away from herbs and spices. there are a lot of different mechanisms at work and sometimes the active isn't the one solving the anxiety problem and it could cause an imbalance elsewhere.

if you just wanted safe alternatives to meds that would specifically treat anxiety i would say stick to vitamins, minerals and amino acids. at least you know what you are putting in your body.

these are good for anxiety.

magnesium, fulvic is the best, gylcinate or gluconate is fine, any kind of chelated magnesium is fine, avoid citrate and oxide forms.

b3 or niacin, this was the basis for valium, often called natures valium, a large dosage can cause a flush however. if you have allergies etc. avoid this. this is why you need to describe your other problems/symptoms, because anxiety is a symptom of another problem and without knowing the problem its hard to help.

vitamin c, this is an old reliable. it might take a couple weeks for you to see sustainable results. a couple grams a day is a good dosage, spaced out over the day. you should see some temporary relief right away and it will build over time. 

as far as aminos go, its been debated that phenylalanine will disrupt the enzyme that breaks down endorphins, whether or not this is true is a subject for discussion. the supplement industry claims its true and so do many others. either way DL phenylalanine could be tried as well, if in fact it does disrupt the enzyme that breaks down endorphins then you should feel very calm and at ease with the world. this would most likely be a slow onset so give a couple of weeks and see if you feel better.

with the stuff i recommend you won't feel high or different. if you want to feel tranquilized then you can go find some OTC benzo root powder or something. however i don't think that will help you long term. what i've stated above will give you temporary relief immediately and build slowly over the course of a couple weeks and is really safe to use long term.

furthermore i find it disturbing that a lot of people on this board use anxiety as an excuse/reason to experiment with scheduled drugs and medications sourced from over seaa pharma as well as strong herbs and extracts. that stuff is dangerous, end of discussion. it should never be used unless under strict medical attention and in my opinion is not a long term solution.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

newboki said:


> Hi guys. Anyone here that knows anything about herbs could you suggest me some good herb for well-being, that has some clinical proof and history for treatment for anxiety. I am already interested in Ashwagandha thx. Plz just don't include st john wart.


Ashwaghanda has some very promosing research behind it, you can check out this review.[1]. Rhodiola has been studies for GAD in a pilot study and has been found effective[2]. And as last lemon balm has been found to be effective for anxiety in rodents and it has been shown to attenuate the effects of stress induced in humans[3] [4]

Those are the most promosing looking herbal treatments. There's more research behind them then the references i gave you, too lazy to look up everything lol, but definatly do some research on them.

Those herbs should be cycled (2 days off a week or 3 weeks on and a week off) I also advice to be carefull with antioxidants because they are capable of undoing the benefits of exercise[5]


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## ratbag (Aug 2, 2009)

Chamomile?


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## Sunshine009 (Sep 21, 2008)

I think exercise is best and going off junkfood and sugars really helped me. I love herbs/vitamins etc. but I never had any help with them to help with anxiety much.


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## Kelly (Dec 12, 2003)

rocknroll714 said:


> St. John's Wort is an excellent antidepressant/anxiolytic herb. In fact it's the most widely prescribed antidepressant in Germany (it's Rx there).


St. John's Wort is not prescription in Germany. You don't even have to buy it at a pharmacy. Herbal supplements like St. John's Wort (Johanniskraut) can be commonly found at all drug stores.

I didn't read the rest of your post because it was long (sorry), but I just wanted to point that out.

Your post is reminding me that I should probably go buy some more (And some Valerian/Baldrian too) before I run out. Thanks! 

Have a nice day,
Kelly


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## Kelly (Dec 12, 2003)

rocknroll714 said:


> Oh I know. Sorry. What I meant was that they prescribe it there as well.


Maybe, but isn't that just like a doctor saying, "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning?" Maybe they "prescribe" it, but that's probably just so the cost is reimbursed by insurance. I cut my finger and required three stitches and the doctor wrote me a prescription for the _bandages_.

And I wouldn't take anything like that as a sign of its success. Germans have some strange ideas about drugs. I'm not depressed (take SJW for anxiety) so I don't know if anything "stronger" than SJW is approved in Germany. If stronger stuff is approved, my guess is that they reserve it for severe cases. I do know, however, that they have basically no good painkillers in Germany. An American friend had a chronic pain condition and couldn't get pain killers stronger than ibuprofen, so she had to wait until a trip back to America to get Vicodin (and her anti-depressants too.) I had horrible shin splints earlier this year and all they gave me was a topical cream that did absolutely nothing.

(Germans do love their ibuprofen though. Me: "I have a sinus cold." German: "Did you take an ibuprofen?" Me: "No. I took a Sudafed. It's American." German: *looks at me skeptically*)

So, yeah, I wouldn't look to the Germans as experts on this one.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


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## Unlikely hero (Jan 20, 2009)

kava


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## n1kkuh (Jul 11, 2008)

JoJenny said:


> I've had personal experience in sourcing varieties of Rhodiola over a long period of time. Too many of them do nothing . . . While I would say that there probably IS rhodiola in those pills or capsules, and not sugar, my guess is that the reason for the relative inactivity of so many of these Rhodiola products is that the herb is quite sensitive to humidity and temperature. If a "typical" manufacturer of vitamins sells it, a company that stores huge quantities of organic compounds on their warehouse shelves, they will know nothing at all about working with plants, especially ones that are this sensitive. After all, Rhodiola comes from the arctic north where the average temperatures might be 45 degrees on a summer day. Put it in a California vitamin warehouse where it's in the high 70's or 80's, and its dead before they even capsulize it. I've only found one that works consistently (something called Mind Body & Spirit) and a couple others that USUALLY work. But I wouldn't hesitate to take a Rhodiola back for my money if I took it and not much happened.


I'm not sure about the temperature thing, but I think it has to do with the various different phenotypes of the plant. Some companies might just pick any rhodiola out there in siberia and extract it and bottle it up, where maybe only certain regions of the country have the right phenotype of rhodiola that has all the mood boosting effects. I for one can say that I've had noticed the effects of rhodiola, but some brands are almost completely unnoticeable, like the GNC brand. I thought the sollaray rhodiola in a plastice bottle was pretty effective.


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## aguy1010 (Feb 10, 2010)

All the things lazysob said are good to take but not herbs, they are dietary supplements, you should pretty much take those without second thought since they aren't really a drug of any sort...

I have taken a number of different herbs in the past and I can say they are definitely similar in some ways to being a drug, they produce effects, usually mentally, but aren't something your body needs (like magnesium, vitamin c, etc)... while I have had some good experiences at times with things like valerian root, I think overall it would always make me feel worse with continued use. As far as kava, that actually can be pretty strong if you take a lot of it as I did once, I took like 5 pills just to try it when the recommended dose is 1... it is an appetite suppressant so it was really hard to eat for like a full day after, so just take it easy with trying the new things in small doses and I just question whether they are really that good for social anxiety since they already have medications specifically for this


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## Stagnant (Mar 3, 2010)

Catnip Tea is a good mild Tranquilizer


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