Ayurveda for Anxiety and Other Mood Disorders

Ayurvedic medicine has been used for more than 5,000 years to prevent illness and be supportive and healing if disease does arise. Since Ayurveda posits that all disease starts in the mind, it should come as no surprise that it pays a good deal of attention to mental as well as physical health.

Anxiety
We all get nervous from time to time, but if you constantly feel worried, often without any particular cause you can determine, or your nerves are holding you back from living a normal life, you could have anxiety disorder.

Depression
Many of us feel ‘down’ or ‘blue’ from time to time, but if you lose all interest in your usual activities and spend a lot of time feeling exhausted or sleeping a lot, it could be depression. And if you have had a baby recently, you might be suffering from post-partum depression.

Dosha imbalance
In Ayurveda, there are 3 forms of mind-body energy, or doshas:
Vata – movement
Pitta – metabolism
Kapha – bodily structure

The goal is to keep them in balance. Vata people who are out of balance tend to be very anxious. Vata energy increases in most of us during the summer months, solstices and equinoxes.

Kapha energy is generally calm and slow, but when it is out of balance, the person can be plodding, sluggish, low energy and generally depressive. Kapha energy is strongest in the winter months.

Know your dosha
Once you know your dominant dosha and overall profile, you can follow an eating plan and use herbal remedies that will support your health. https://store.chopra.com/dosha-quiz

Ayurveda pays a good deal of attention to diet, so your first step would be to learn about what you can and can’t eat if you are trying to eat right for you type.

The second step would be to visit an Ayurvedic practitioner in order to draw up an overall treatment plan of herbs, yoga and other treatments.

Detoxification
Ayurveda believes illness can also be caused by inefficient elimination of toxins from the body, such as sweat, urine and excrement. A detox program designed for your dosha can help clear away these impurities, or malas, and restore your good health.

Meditation
Meditation can calm the mind and restore positive, healthy thoughts. It can be done on its own, or as part of a yogic practice.

Herbs for mood disorders
Popular herbs for anxiety include:

Ashwagandha
Brahmi
Ginkgo Biloba
Gotu Kola
L-Theanine, an amino acid found in green tea
Passionflower
Valerian

Popular herbs for depression include:

Amla
Arjuna
Ashwagandha
Brahmi
Cardamom
Clove
Shatavari

Remember, even though they are natural, all herbs can carry a risk of side effects. Educate yourself about what to look out for so you can stay safe.

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/anxiety-panic-guide-symptoms-types

https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/combating-anxiety-with-ayurveda

https://www.tranquilitylabs.com/7-best-herbs-for-anxiety-and-panic-attacks/