Treating Anxiety Naturally

There are numerous anxiety sufferers out there that would much prefer treating anxiety naturally rather than use traditional medications for the treatment of their disorder. Although it is certainly not true in every case, many prescription medications are known to be both addictive and have very real side effects.

Consequently, many anxiety sufferers, or their family members, since more and more children are being diagnosed with chronic anxiety, seek out alternative natural treatments instead of potentially harmful prescription medications.

These alternative natural treatments for anxiety include herbal supplements that possess both anti-depression and anti-anxiety properties. Some of these supplements include -

• Kava Kava - A herbal treatment taken from the Kava crop of the western pacific. Kava Kava is not addictive though it still is said to have some very low possibility of violent allergic reactions. It can be taken upon symptoms appearing or daily in small doses.
• Valerian Root - This herbal supplement is from the Valerian flower plant. It is known to have sedative properties capable of helping symptoms associated with insomnia and epilepsy. However, Valerian Root is also known to be mildly addictive.
• St. John's Wort - A hypericum species, (or general for all hypericum) is also known as Klamath weed or Goat weed. This can be made into an herbal treatment and is said to have properties capable of battling depression. In some countries, such as Germany, St Johns Wort is routinely prescribed for mild depression more often than traditional medication.

Other supplements include passion fruit, passion flower, hops, chamomile, magnesium and B-complex.

Many claims have been made of herbal supplements from the believable such as helps cure symptoms of insomnia and epilepsy to the implausible such as cures for cancer or AIDS. But are these methods of alternative medicine, also called homeopathy or herbalism, effective in treating anxiety?

According to the scientific community, no hard evidence has been produced to support the claims made by manufacturers of these herbal products. While there might be reason to believe herbal medicine can act as a sedative, is there any proof that it is an effective treatment for anxiety? Better yet, would it be a safe and effective treatment for patients who suffer from an anxiety disorder?

At this point in time, there is no evidence that taking herbal medicine can relieve anxiety though it is suggestible they do, given the testimony of many patients who say they have been helped by taking St. John's Wort or Valerian Root. However, even traditional medication is not guaranteed to work with every individual, so alternative medicines are a gamble at best. The advantage however is that they are believed to be less addictive and potentially less harmful than more powerful drugs.

In the case of mild anxiety problems, herbal supplements are often times recommended as a preliminary to stronger medication, if it's deemed necessary. Be careful of purchasing herbal drugs that seemingly come out of no where. Some manufacturers are more believable than others, and some products are at least verified not to be a health risk, whereas others could still be untested.

Ask your doctor about any herbal supplements they can recommend for treating anxiety naturally, especially if you do not want to go the route of prescription drugs and medications that may do you more harm than good.