5 Herbs That Help You Say Goodbye to Stress

Stress can permeate every area of your life before you know it. Challenges at home and work, not enough money and other life issues can cause anxiety that leads to stress and chronic problems and diseases.

Rather than reaching for potentially harmful prescription medications, cure what ails you with natural herbal remedies. It’s better for you, less expensive and is actually good for you.

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Here are some herbs that can help calm you down without making you sleepy and harming your health:

Lavender – This lovely and healing plant has no side effects that make you sleepy, but can be effective in helping calm anxiety. Studies that compared lavender to the medication, lorazepam, found that lavender was just as effective as the recommended prescription dosage. You can use the lavender oil as an aromatic stress reliever or take an 80 mg supplement once per day.

Passionflower – Studies show that passionflower helps eradicate symptoms of anxiety and depression just as effectively as oxazepam. The passionflower takes a bit longer to take effect, but you won’t suffer from drowsiness as a result. The recommended dose is approximately 45 drops of passionflower extract (90 mg. per day) three times per day.

L-theanine – Although L-theanine isn’t classified as an herb (it’s an amino acid), it’s available in black and green tea or as a supplement. Recent studies show that it’s extremely effective in reducing anxiety and stress, but won’t cause sleepiness. Drink a cup of black tea, which contains approximately 25 mg of L-theanine or green tea (containing approximately 8 mg of L-theanine) once an day for a calming effect.

Ashwagandha – Numerous studies have found that the herb, ashwagandha can be effective in a high-concentration extract to improve feelings of stress and anxiety – without harmful side effects. The usefulness of this herb has been compared to the anti-depressant, lorazepam.

Lemon balm – Another stress-relieving herb which can improve your mood and help you be more alert. Lemon balm extract has been used in numerous studies, finding that 300 to 600 mg reduces stress in most people. Lemon balm may also be used in aromatherapy to reduce stress by adding a teaspoon of dried lemon balm to hot water three or four times per day.

The herbs, valerian and kava, are also effective in producing a calming effect, but they can also make you drowsy, so use them with caution. Keep in mind that depression, anxiety and stress may be from deeper causes than result from work-related or other temporary issues.

Along with herbal therapy, try exercise, breathing techniques and forms of meditation to help reduce your anxiety and its impact on your daily life. Find out more about herbs and other ways to relieve stress by searching online or from the many available books and medical reports available.

Many herbs are easy to grow and can add much to your daily diet and improve the taste of food while keeping you calm and healthy. Explore the types of herbs available and what effect they might have on your mental well-being.