Which of these natural supplements work the best for you?

[Guest]

Hi everyone, I wanted to gather some more opinions on herbal supplements, since many people on the board are not happy taking prescription drugs I decided to open a poll to see which of these natural herbs is most effective you. If you have tried any of them, post your experiences!


BTW I've probably missed some, so please post it if its not on the list.

 

[cinnamoos]

I personally use chamomile almost daily as needed in tea form. But when my general anxiety gets bad I will take some Bach's Rescue Remedy which you might want to add to the list.

 

[EdmondA]

St John's Wort is what I usually use if my anxiety is getting the best of me. This is for mild symptoms, mind you. For panic attacks and more severe episodes and for episodes of a longer duration, I usually use something a bit stronger.


I find it interesting that Marijuana was not included on the list! That has been the most effective remedy for me, not only within the realm of natural medicines, but it also has been of more use to me than many of the prescription medications that I have tried over the years.

 

[Pandora]

Vitamin D helps with mild cases of depression. If you live in a state were you only get three months of summer you body doesn't produce enough vitamin D and wrecks havoc on your brain.


I too, was wondering were marijuana was but, forgot must states do not allow that herb to be used. Unless new laws are passed marijuana will not be on most herbal list.

 

[Guest]

I personally use chamomile almost daily as needed in tea form. But when my general anxiety gets bad I will take some Bach's Rescue Remedy which you might want to add to the list.

Will do!

 

[JCP]

Can't say I've ever heard of "Bach's Rescue Remedy" before. What's in it? Does it help with anxiety?

 

[judyd1]

Any time I feel sad or blue, I start to increase my B Vitamins. I have found that B Vitamins help me better than any other supplement. If you can find the sublingual supplements, that's the way to go. Under extreme stress, the body uses up its supplies of B vitamins (many of which actually coat the nerve sheath) and I have had to take supplements hourly until I feel the relief. It really works.

 

[joshposh]

I don't take any of those. Or it could be that I actually am, but is unaware of it.


I just eat a lot of raw vegetables, and organic animal protein and I feel great. I don't quantify it and try to micromanage every little gram of micro nutrient there is. I just follow the diet plan and drink a lot of water. Water is the best way to flush everything out.

 

[Astrollo]

When I am experiencing feelings of anxiety, I take magnesium and brewer's yeast tablets. Most people are deficient in magnesium and it has a very calming effect on the entire body. I use two different kinds of magnesium. One is for external application. It is called "Ancient Minerals" magnesium oil. It isn't actually an oil, but it feels like an oil when you apply it. It is derived from an ancient seabed deep in the Zechstein Sea. It contains high levels of naturally occurring magnesium chloride along with natural minerals. When I first rubbed some into my back and neck area, I had the most profound relaxation I had ever experienced. Apparently, I was deficient in magnesium and didn't even realize it. The second kind of magnesium I take is a product called "Calm". It is a powdered form of magnesium. I take about a half teaspoon along with half a teaspoon of baking soda in some water before I go to bed at night. It has a very calming effect on me and I sleep more deeply without waking up during the night. As I mentioned, I also take brewer's yeast tablets. They are a natural source of B vitamins, and the brand I take "Solgar" also has added B12. Brewer's yeast is not the same as nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast does have B vitamins, but they are almost never the natural kind of B vitamins. I prefer the natural kind as they do not cause me to be "shaky", as the man made B vitamins do. I hope this helps some of you find relief from symptoms of anxiety, as it has for me.

 

[AnxietyNerd]

If any of these are working for you, its good enough but what you do need to keep in mind is that other then the natural supplements there are other ways of reducing anxiety as well like yoga.


I personally prefer the non medicine ways and yoga is working great for me in reducing the exercises.


The only problem is that you have to train yourself to do the yoga exercises, when you are starting to panic. If you are able to train yourself to do that, it would be easy for you to avoid the panic attacks and anxiety.

 

[stephonline]

Theanine has helped me get to sleep for the past few years. If I get really nervous and can't get out of the house then I take some theanine too. It feels like I have two drinks in me and it just makes me sleepy enough to not care. My doctor also gave me some medication that does the same thing, but I prefer Theanine because it does not do any damage to my liver.

 

[Daves]

Chamomile tea is amazing, I drink a cup every other day. It is very calming, I don't drink it as an anxiety remedy though. I just love it generally.

 

[Pijuy]

5 HTP helped my depression, but it was paired with a good routine. Healthy eating, exercising regularly and trying my best to keep a schedule.

 

[whysewserious]

I drink a lot of chamomile tea as well, but also find that St. John's Wort is awesome for bouts of depression.


I would like to toss in a disclaimer that St. John's Worth can cause nasty side effects with plenty of medications, so make sure to do your research and talk to your doctor about it before you start taking it.

 

[doryQ]

Right now I take bacopa monnieri to ease my anxiety. I've been taking it for a few months, and I feel it's helped ease some of my social anxiety when I'm in public, so I would highly recommend it. I've also been using guided meditations off of youtube to cultivate a greater sense of calm , and I feel that's helped a LOT with dealing with racing, anxious thoughts. I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but bacopa and meditation have gotten me to a point I didn't think was possible before.

 

[kgord]

The only herbal meds I have ever tried is St. Johns Wort that is supposed to help with depression, Melatonin and Kava Kava both for sleep and relaxation I have also used. I didn't notice much an effect form St. John's Wort actually, but melatonin defintely helps with sleep as does Valerian. Kava Kava if taken excessively can damage your liver so I don't take that anymore. I am not aware of any of the others but bacopa does sound like it would be something that might be beneficial.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I think that my favorite one in the list is definitely Chamomile, I make teas out of it really often and it never gets old. Not only is a great way to refresh yourself on a hot day or keep yourself cozy on a cold day, but it's also a great remedy for the skin and makes wonders for me when it comes to calm my nerves.


I drink it quite often and I'm not planning to leave it!

 

[pnx626]

For anyone with attention problems or ADD there's this supplement called FOCUSfactor and it's actually been helpful for me. I don't know if it's just the placebo effect or anything but I've had fewer anxious and hyperactive episodes since I started taking it.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

I looked up and down that list and there was nothing there which could be found where I lived. Or maybe I wasn't looking too hard for them. I do take natural supplements, though. It is sold as Saktina in my country. Actually, it is guarana, a fruit found in the Amazon forest. Guarana is marketed in many forms. In some countries, it's marketed as an ampule. In my country, it's marketed in capsule form. The raw material is imported in drums as a dry powder. Then it's put into gelatin capsules. I have been taking it regularly for many years.

 

[kgord]

I was always wondering about Focus Factor. They used to give trial bottles of it away for free. I have a total inattention to detail at times, which is probably ADD related. I would like to try something like Focus Factor to see if it made a difference. I had a very brief trial on Ritalin one time, and it didn't seem to, but one doctor whom I talked to, said that the trial was probably not conducted long enough. Anyway, Focus Factor couldn't hurt!