Natural remedies for anxiety can help manage symptoms like tension and worry. These methods include mindfulness, regular exercise, and herbal supplements.
1. How Does Exercise Help With Anxiety?
Exercise is beneficial for overall health, including mental health. A reduction in anxiety can be a benefit of regular exercise.
It’s recommended that people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Research shows that anxiety can be temporarily decreased immediately after even one exercise session.
With continued regular exercise, long-term anxiety symptoms may decrease as well.1 In addition, mindful movement practices like yoga are believed to have anti-anxiety effects.
2. Can Chamomile Really Ease Your Stress?
Research suggests that regular use of chamomile may help ease symptoms of moderate-to-severe GAD.
People with GAD may worry about everyday things to the degree that the worry interferes with their daily lives. However, participants of one study had an improvement in their GAD after taking three 500mg capsules of chamomile extract a day for several months.
The long-term use of high-dose chamomile oral extract used in the study didn’t seem to create safety concerns.
More research may be needed to know the exact quantity that is considered safe. It is generally believed that any amount used in tea, as well as any short-term oral supplementation, is safe.
Negative side effects like nausea and dizziness are not common, and chamomile may interact with blood-thinning medications (warfarin) or drugs that prevent organ transplant rejection (cyclosporine).
Chamomile could also prompt an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to pollens like ragweed.
3. Is Acupuncture a Useful Remedy?
Acupuncture is the practice of stimulating specific points on the body, usually by inserting thin needles into the skin. Researchers are looking into what other conditions the practice can benefit, including anxiety.5
A review of 20 studies showed that acupuncture can ease anxiety symptoms among people with GAD. This is especially true in the first six weeks of treatment. During that time, acupuncture can work faster than other treatments, such as anti-anxiety drugs.
Since all the studies in the review only included people with GAD, more research is needed to determine whether acupuncture would be helpful for other anxiety disorders.
Research has deemed acupuncture safe. The key to safety is going to an experienced, trained practitioner who uses clean needles.
If acupuncture is not performed correctly or dirty needles are used, there can be serious side effects.
4. Does Lavender Help Calm Nerves?
Research has pointed to an improvement in anxiety symptoms after consuming or smelling lavender—especially before surgery and before and after chemotherapy.
However, lavender may not always be the best option for you. A review of studies noted that they are at risk of bias.
Consuming lavender in tea or extract form could cause side effects like headaches and constipation. It might also increase drowsiness when used with other sedative medications.
5. Can Aromatherapy Relieve Anxiety?
Using essential oils as part of aromatherapy may be a natural way to get anxiety relief. Aromatherapy entails filling a space with the smell of a particular oil, which is typically plant-based, and inhaling it.
One review found that essential oils helped decrease anxiety overall. However, citrus essential oil was significantly helpful in reducing anxiety.
6. How Omega-3s Affect Your Mood
Found in seafood, shellfish, and fish oil supplements, omega-3 fatty acids are needed to build brain cells and help with other basic functions. Fatty acids might also have a positive impact on anxiety.
Studies have had mixed findings. Some research reveals that omega-3 supplementation may help significantly ease and prevent anxiety symptoms. This is especially true for people who’ve been diagnosed with a specific disorder.
7. Can B Vitamins Offer Relief?
For decades, it’s been understood that there’s an association between vitamin B12 levels and anxiety symptoms.
Research has suggested it’s not uncommon for people with anxiety to have low levels of vitamin B12. The belief is that supplementation of vitamin B12 may help ease or prevent anxiety symptoms.
Vitamin B6 might ease anxiety as well. High-dose supplementation of the vitamin has been shown to decrease self-reported anxiety.
More robust research is needed to say for certain. Some studies have also shown that daily intake of vitamin B6 helps lower a range of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, particularly PMS-related anxiety.
While B vitamins are generally safe to use, they have the potential to interfere with some medications.20 Check with a doctor to be certain before use.
8. How Can Meditation Lower Your Stress?
Meditation is one of many relaxation techniques focused on intentional breathing and the mind-body connection. It’s often recommended as an add-on to clinical anxiety treatment plans.
By producing a deep state of relaxation, studies have suggested that meditation may help ease anxiety symptoms in people with diagnosed anxiety disorders.
There’s practically zero risk involved in trying out a meditation session, as long as you’re in a safe environment to close your eyes and zone out.
9. How Journaling Can Improve Your Mood
One study found that one month of “positive affect journaling”—writing down positive feelings or emotions—resulted in less anxiety in people who had various medical conditions and had heightened anxiety symptoms.
Additional research on how different types of journaling could help anxiety is likely needed before experts broadly recommend it.
10. Does Melatonin Help With Anxiety?
Melatonin, which occurs naturally in the body to help with sleep, is also available as a supplement with possible benefits for anxiety. Research has shown melatonin to support anxiety symptom reduction for individuals undergoing surgical procedures.
However, more research is needed to determine its effectiveness for anxiety unrelated to surgical procedures.
11. How L-Theanine Can Relieve Your Stress
L-theanine is an amino acid found in green tea but that is also available in supplement form. One review of already-published research concluded that taking 200-400 milligrams of L-theanine supplements a day decreased anxiety levels in people going through stressful situations.
However, it is unclear how the effectiveness of L-theanine would change when it is consumed as part of tea.
12. Is Magnesium Good for Anxiety?
Magnesium—a mineral found in foods like whole grains, leafy greens, and milk—plays a role in brain function, resulting in a potential effect on anxiety.2728
One review found initial evidence suggesting that magnesium supplementation could potentially ease mild anxiety symptoms, generalized anxiety, and anxiety-related PMS symptoms.
However, more studies are needed on the broader impact magnesium could have on anxiety symptoms.
Additionally, more research is necessary to know what form of magnesium is best for anxiety management. Magnesium lactate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium glycinate are all examples of magnesium supplements.28
13. Can Lemon Balm Be Helpful?
Lemon balm, an herb in the mint family, has long been considered to have calming properties. While current research is limited, there is some evidence showing its positive impact on anxiety and mood.
Two separate studies found that consuming drinks infused with lemon balm had a positive anti-anxiety effect on people recovering from heart surgery and severe burns.
Chehroudi S, Fatemi MJ, Isfeedvajani MS, Salehi SH, Akbari H, Samimi R. Effects of Melissa officinalis L. on reducing stress, alleviating anxiety disorders, depression, and insomnia, and increasing total antioxidants in burn patients. Trauma Monthly. 2017;4(22). doi:10.5812/traumamon.33630
