2 Best Herbs for Anxiety and Stress
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Herbs for thousands of years have been used for anxiety, stress, and sleep long before pharmaceuticals were invented and commonly used. Herbs tend to be slower acting, and they have fewer side effects.
Many herbs help with anxiety, stress, and sleep, like passionflower, lavender, valerian root, lemon balm, chamomile flowers, hops, ashwagandha, etc.
2 Best Herbs for Anxiety
Lemon balm
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial bushy herb. It looks like an oversized mint bush, although it isn’t an invasive species, unlike its vegetal cousin, peppermint. The green-blue leaves have a delightful lemon-scented fragrance.
Lemon balm may be used as a minor sedative. It also comes with calming, cognitive function, and mood regulation enhancement properties.
Some studies have shown that lemon balm has neuroprotective and antioxidative properties. It can be used in fish seasoning and salads, although use it carefully as it is very fragrant.
Lavender
Lavender (Lavandula) is a blue flowering shrub or a small lilac with 47 known species. You have most likely grown French, English, or Spanish lavender if you own a yard for its “calming” aroma.
It lives up to 30 years. Studies show that it helps relieve stress and helps with sleep, chronic pain, and depression. It is many used in cosmetics and soaps, and it can also be used in your favourite salads and other dishes.
If you’re taking a prescription medication, it is always good to ask your doctor if you may take herbs as some herbs can negatively interact with your prescription meds.
If you’re not taking meds, using herbs once in a while in the form of aromatherapy or tea is relatively safe. However, suppose you want to use it regularly. In that case, you’ll need to try it under the care of a DOM (doctor of oriental medicine) or a holistic physician to be sure that you’re taking the correct amount of the herb for your conditions.
