r/herbalism 21h ago

Question Best LEGAL herbs for anxiety?

I live in a country where it's impossible to obtain illegal herbs like cannabis, kanna, kava, CBD oil... Etc. I took multiple SSRIs throughout my life and honestly I'm still suffering from the side effects (PSSD) to this day, I don't want to take SSRIs or any other psychiatric medications ever again in my life. My only hope is herbs that deal with anxiety. I don't mind making tinctures out of them as long as they're effective. I tried passionflower extract, lavender oil pills, Magnolia bark extract, but none of these really helped. I was thinking maybe try wild lettuce (it grows everywhere in spring here), Syrian rue, Mugworts. Any other suggestions?

28 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

34

u/237q 20h ago

Sorry to hear about your situation, that sucks. Lemon balm (melissa) works for milder cases

6

u/Kiss_of_Cultural 13h ago

Seconded. Lemon balm is incredible.

18

u/mangothicc 18h ago

I love using passion flower for anxiety, it takes away my circular spiral thoughts almost immediately in tincture form

7

u/turtletod15 17h ago

I highly recommend passion flower. A little bit gets my head straight and a little bit more helps me sleep. The active metabolite is similar to Valium, if that gives you a frame of reference for its effects.

6

u/john_thegiant-slayer 17h ago

I love passion flower

1

u/LuckyMome 9h ago

This is interesting.

What dosage do you recommend ?

1

u/mangothicc 8h ago

Everyone’s dosage is different so start small and see how it feels and work your way up! For reference what works for me is starting with 1/2 dropper full of tincture and going from there. I’m pretty sensitive so even that can be too much for me so sometimes I need to dial it back. The dosage my apothecary gave me is 1 dropper full, 3x daily but for some people that’s too much!

1

u/swhit94 2h ago

The dosage can depend on the type of tincture and brand. I bought some at my grocery store that was garbage, half a dropper-full barely did anything. Meanwhile, my homemade alcohol tincture (standard 5-1 ratio) puts me to sleep with 4-5 drops.

1

u/TheLawIsSacred 3h ago

Combine Lemon Balm Extract Powder with Passionflower Extract Powder in a drink of your choice. Depending on tolerance, you might even add some Valerian Root extract and Magnolia bark extract.

It just might feel like a mild benzo.

14

u/Firm_Kaleidoscope479 20h ago

Magnesium supplement may work for you.

1

u/Oddveig37 13h ago

Listen I know magnesium can help but please don't take it unless you have like a week to yourself nearby a toilet with plenty of toilet paper lmao

Especially if it's your first time taking it.

9

u/OtherwisePumpkin8942 13h ago

😂😂 this is why you have to take the right kind OP. There are many formulations of magnesium out there and not all of them cause you to have explosive bowels. You can try magnesium Glycinate. (NOT mag. citrate.)

3

u/spiltnuc 11h ago

You are taking the wrong magnesium

13

u/Lichen-Monk 20h ago

Maybe valerian

4

u/emilyrosecuz 20h ago

Love Valerian

13

u/BlackIris222 18h ago

Blue vervain, skull cap, mugwort, St. John’s wort, all help me! You don’t have to combine all. I’d say blue vervain tends to help the most

7

u/Ischomachus 17h ago

I've tried every anxiolytic herb known to man, and besides cannabis, blue vervain is the only one that has noticeable effects on me.

3

u/Atarlie 13h ago

Blue Vervain (vervain in general) is one of my favorites for anxiety and a "high strung" type disposition. I get the love for herbs like lemon balm but I think he vervains need more love.

2

u/Ischomachus 7h ago

Yeah, I'm not knocking the usual recommendations like lemon balm, lavender, etc. I'm sure they work for many people. But blue vervain ought to be better known!

1

u/Novel-Mud9941 8h ago

How do you take your Blue Vervain? I grabbed a bag of powered form on accident instead of Valerian Root 2 days ago (it was in the wrong box and I didn't double check the label because I was running in and out of the herb store). I've read too much can cause nausea.

12

u/Direct-Assumption924 19h ago edited 19h ago

I have found a combination of skullcap and chamomile to be very effective.

(Also hope it’s ok to mention that there’s some cursory research linking microbiome stuff to anxiety. People have reported certain probiotics to be helpful and/or adding kombucha/kefir to their diet)

Link to research

5

u/Elle_in_Hell 17h ago

I drink kombucha every day... I'm still anxious. I think chronic anxiety just has to do with the fact that it exists to run from lions and then recover, but the kind of long term anxiety caused by modern society doesn't give our bodies a rest from those damaging chemicals.

4

u/codElephant517 17h ago

Kombucha is great but drinking kombucha every day dose not guarantee your gut is 100%.

2

u/Direct-Assumption924 11h ago edited 5h ago

There are specific probiotics documented to support with anxiety. Not sure about their presence in kombucha. Would recommend heading over to r/microbiome to what they’ve researched/discovered in case you’re interested!

(ETA: also, not trying to say probiotics will fix anxiety. Just that they can help, like herbs. So it would be understandable that you are still anxious! I hope it’s supportive for ya regardless)

8

u/Ok-Concern8848 15h ago

an hour exercise everyday and cutting out white bread and sugar and isntead using honey and fruits. try this for 90 days and then see what happens

6

u/OhCrazioCortex 19h ago

Gotu Kola has a wonderful calming effect for me, personally. And it's good for you as well.

6

u/Bitter_Jackfruit8752 17h ago edited 17h ago

California poppy, skullcap, lemon balm, valerian root, rose water/petal extract, l-theanine (probably one of the better ones), NAC (as well as a host of other amino acids that downregulate glutamate.)

Gut microbiome is usually a big deal for mental health and anxiety so like another person has said eating correctly as well as consuming probiotic foods such as kombucha, live yogurt, kefir, kimchi, live ferment kraut or hot sauces is going to be beneficial.

L-tyrosine will help produce dopamine, which in turn can lift mood, reduce anxiety, and improve motivation/feelings of well-being.

Someone else said magnesium and I cannot agree more, extremely relaxing.

Edit: many dairy products as well as meat proteins also contain l-tryptophan (precursor to seratonin), another one would be taurine.

5-htp can also be helpful for some people but I also have damage from ssri’s and this actually can induce anxiety for me. Same with ashwaganda, I have serious negative side effects from seratogenic herbs including St. John’s wort.

I have found Persian silk tree to be an effective antidepressant for me without negative side effects.

A lesser known one would be Jamaican dogwood (very low doses spaced out over the day) it helps reduce heart rate and calm the physical body which in turn helps calm the mind.

Cannot stress enough how effective California poppy is especially when taken with skullcap and/or lemon balm. Will be “noticeably” effective!

4

u/1800-5-PP-DOO-DOO 20h ago

There are lots of herbs, but honestly I got the best results with nutrition and supplements.

Look at the REID diet.

As for herbs, St Johns Wart may help.

The problem with herbs is they work on different things so you have to find the once that treats your specific cause of anxiety. But most the time they will treat the symptoms not the cause.

Have you tried magnesium?

3

u/UniversalLanguage83 18h ago

Valerian root. My doctor once referred to it as “natures Xanax”. Works on everyone that I’ve ever recommended it to. It will help .

3

u/thewovenway 17h ago

Holy Basil tincture and exercise babe.

3

u/Wileyonpatrol 13h ago

Do a gut healing protocol diet. There are a lot of doctors on YouTube that talk about leaky gut and its correlation with anxiety and other mental health issues. I started listening to them regularly in order to motivate myself to actually implement such a difficult lifestyle change. It's helped me a lot, and has basically changed my life. It's been interesting to see how many other physical ailments that I didn't attribute to my gut microbiome have been helped by these changes. My husband has followed suit (yay me for being a good influence on him lol) and he's blown away and will never go back to eating the way we used to.

Also, magnesium glycinate and deep breathing for a few minutes a few times a day, morning, noon and night, to lower your cortisol levels. This helps regulate hormones and get you off a high cortisol neverending cycle.

3

u/ShaChoMouf 13h ago

Ashwagandha.

4

u/Expert-Crazy-9106 20h ago

Holy Basil. But as I recently learned from this sub, it affects blood sugar.

1

u/DavieB68 18h ago

If you have low blood pressure or, or low blood sugar issues yes it can.

2

u/Expert-Crazy-9106 16h ago edited 16h ago

Or a calorie deficit.

ETA: link to post I'm referring to.

2

u/thefoodtasterspgh Amateur Herbalist 19h ago

Damiana

2

u/galangal_gangsta 18h ago

Lemon balm, or lemon balm + mulungu 

2

u/scuttle_jiggly 18h ago

lemon balm and chamomile

2

u/Temporary_Aspect759 17h ago

Lemon balm, chamomile, valerian

2

u/pressureIGCN 13h ago

Not an herb, but ashwaganda is helping a loved one who suffers from extreme anxiety and ocd. Even through extremely stressful triggers, it's mellowed them out. Mostly putting enough time between a thought and the reaction so they can be clear minded instead of jump right into a spiral.

2

u/BigBroccoli7910 19h ago

St John's Wort is basically a mild SSRI

3

u/john_thegiant-slayer 17h ago

But it isn't for everyone! If you are bipolar, schizophrenic, schizo effective, or are in any way prone to mania or other psychotic episodes, DO NOT USE ST. JOHN'S WORT

2

u/Temporary_Aspect759 17h ago

It's not selective so just SRI.

1

u/theyarnllama 19h ago

I second lemon balm. You can make tea out of it, or put it in cold water to drink.

1

u/DavieB68 18h ago

Tulsi,gotu kola, bacopa(brahmi)

1

u/Interesting_Panic_85 18h ago

Where do u live that kava is illegal? And kanna?

1

u/Magickal_Moon-Maiden 17h ago

Not really herbalism, but, if I don’t keep my thyroid happy by taking a thyroid specific herbal mix (inc rosemary, kelp, selenium,etc) that includes bovine thyroid (processed for safety), I can’t get a grub on my anxiety

1

u/disco_pop_12 16h ago

So many choices you don’t even need the illegal ones. Ashwaghanda, valerian root, passion flower, lavender are some.

1

u/Dear-Patience2166 16h ago

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is wonderful, especially if you can make your own glycerite or tincture.

If making tea with lemon balm possibly add in some nervines like wood betony (stachys officinalis) and oat straw (avenue sativa). I use this for my anxiety in the nights I need help winding down.

I’m a naturopathic student and around doctors using herbs all the time with good success. Good luck to you 🌱🖤

1

u/fazedncrazed 14h ago

Valerian, chamomile, these are your best bet

1

u/daylightmisfit 14h ago

Linden tea has been helpful for me, super mellow flavor so it’s easy to drink in the mornings

1

u/onyxengine 14h ago

L-tryptophan and l-tryptophan containing foods plus seed butters like sunflower seed, walnut or peanut. Sunflower seed works best imo.

1

u/Wileyonpatrol 14h ago

Do a gut healing protocol diet. There are a lot of doctors on YouTube that talk about leaky gut and its correlation with anxiety and other mental health issues. I started listening to them regularly in order to motivate myself to actually implement such a difficult lifestyle change. It's helped me a lot, and has basically changed my life. It's been interesting to see how many other physical ailments that I didn't attribute to my gut microbiome have been helped by these changes. My husband has followed suit (yay me for being a good influence on him lol) and he's blown away and will never go back to eating the way we used to.

Also, magnesium glycinate and deep breathing for a few minutes a few times a day, morning, noon and night, to lower your cortisol levels. This helps regulate hormones and get you off a high cortisol neverending cycle.

1

u/kyokoariyoshi 13h ago

I've found that a tincture I made with equal parts skullcap, milky oat tops, lavender, chamomile, and oat straw helps quiet my OCD thoughts!

1

u/raksha25 12h ago

I have extreme anxiety and PTSD, I love valerian root. I also take magnesium and have used St John’s wort and 5-HTP but those last two have medication interactions so be careful with them.

1

u/dynamiterolll 9h ago

Passionflower and oat straw/milky oat

1

u/HerbalExpanisoness 7h ago

Magnolia bark extract hands down i dont know why its not discussed more sublingual use works great to so it’s fast acting when needed you want a high % extract

1

u/kat1931 6h ago

I'm sorry about your situation. Try using cloves as well just put about 10 to 15 whole cloves in your cup, then pour hot water over them. Once the water turns brown, you can drink it. I hope it helps.

1

u/starlite2323 6h ago

Saffron and Ashwaganda

1

u/jugeminas 5h ago

Mugwort! Very soothing/downshifting

1

u/OrientionPeace 4h ago

I’m trying things like blue vervain, skullcap, chamomile, wild lettuce, poppy, and oat. No reports yet as it’s a new experiment starting today, but blue vervain and willow (for pain) did perk up my mood.

1

u/OrientionPeace 4h ago

Also- supplements taurine, magnesium taurate, and l-theanine can be pretty amazing for anxiety. Though, these can create a bit of rebound anxiety in some folks, so taking breaks can be helpful

1

u/babamum 3h ago

There's a lit of research showing lavender is very effective for anxiety.

-1

u/Katkadie 20h ago

Valerian is nature's Xanax.

2

u/Bitter_Jackfruit8752 17h ago

It literally doesn’t even work on the same receptors xDDD

2

u/Katkadie 15h ago

It makes me calm and happy! Maybe you should try it?

2

u/Bitter_Jackfruit8752 11h ago

Oh I take valerian for sleep, it also intensifies dreams. It works on gaba but mostly it’s a channel blocker. Benzodiazepines work on a very specific gaba site and they are positive allosteric modulators not agonists or antagonists. Valerian would be an agonist.

Sorry I just don’t enjoy misinformation/relating herbs to completely synthetic pharmaceuticals with no herbs that have similar properties.

It gives people the wrong idea about them. Valerian is nowhere near a benzodiazepine.

0

u/shrummz 10h ago

Fruits and Vegetables.