ANXIETY ? THE MOST EFFECTIVE REMEDIES

Dietary supplements and herbs have proven to be effective natural remedies for treating anxiety and related disorders, without the side effects of anxiolytics. 

Which are the most effective natural remedies ?

Anxiety and related disorders, such as sleep disorders, are very common, even among the youngest.

While for occasional anxiety the use of natural remedies is frequent, in the case of most relevant anxiety disorders, psychotherapy and / or anxiolytic treatments are required.

Unfortunately anxiolytic drugs can cause unwanted side effects and, in some cases, dependence and abuse.

Considering these important side effects of anxiolytics, it is important to analyze which of the natural remedies (herbs , food supplements) on the market can be really effective in treating anxiety and anxiety disorders.

Unfortunately, in fact, in this period of economic crisis, people, hearing often different conflicting opinions about the effectiveness of natural remedies, tend to opt for the anxiolytic drugs, which may appear more effective and less expensive.

Considering a systematic review of 24 clinical studies on natural remedies for anxiety, conducted in part on patients who had been diagnosed with either an anxiety disorder or depression, and in part on healthy volunteers, results are really interesting.

Dietary supplements and herbs have proven to be effective natural remedies for treating anxiety and related disorders (insomnia, depressive symptoms , etc.).

But in particular, among various natural remedies investigated, extracts of passionflower and kava–kava and the combination of L-lysine and L-arginine showed to be the most effective in the treatment of anxiety.

For magnesium supplements and other herbal combinations, further evidences on their effectiveness for anxiety treatment are required.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), successfully used for mood disorders, in monotherapy did not show to be effective against anxiety.

In conclusion, pointing out that in some countries, like Italy, selling kava-kava products has been prohibited since 2002, as a precautionary measure, and remembering that supplementation with amino acids can activate pathways that promote cell growth, passionflower seems to be the safest and most effective natural remedy for anxiety.

Sources:

Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety- related disorders: systematic review

Lakhan and Vieira Nutrition Journal 2010 , 9:42

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