If you think that you cannot cope with thoughts of suicide, anxiety and sleepless nights, then the medicine such as Prozac or Zoloft may not be for you. It may be time to give some thought to herbs for anxiety.

 The conventional meds that I have mentioned above may well be effective as an anti depressant but for many patients, the side effects seem to outweigh any advantages they can get. Others suffer from these less so it is very much a personal choice.

Depression is often accompanied by anxiety and there are studies that now show that anything from 30% to about 85% of these patients may also be suffering from food allergies, although they are not aware of it.

But doctors have noted that depression seems to go hand in hand with low blood sugar and a shortage of physical exercise. The latter reminds me that it is very rare to find a depressed person who is physically active. Many therapists are convinced that one of the best ways to get over depression is to do some vigorous physical exercise but often the actual implementation of this is very difficult for depressed and anxious patients.  Instead many depressed and anxious people resort to alcohol which gives temporary relief or even drugs. The effects on one’s health can be disastrous.

Related to exercise is the practice of yoga which places great emphasis on breathing properly. If we breathe properly, we are giving our cells the oxygen they need. That can help us to avoid cancer, heart disease and anxiety and stress, of course. Yoga, meditation and Pilates are great ways to get back in touch with our breathing again.

One alternative to getting help for depression and anxiety is to opt for psychotherapy in the form of CBT which stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This form of therapy trains the sufferer to face their fears and how to cope with them.  This is often referred to as ‘exposure and response prevention’ The result is that the coping strategies are not only effective in conquering fear but puts the anxiety and stress into a much more comfortable perspective.

Many patients are reluctant to face therapy from the point of view of cost and time. They are looking for a quicker and easier way to conquer their constant fear which is whirling them round in the vicious circles of anxiety, stress, depression and more anxiety. They cannot get out of this vortex it seems.

So what are the effective and safe herbs for anxiety? We should remember that up to 30% of the conventional medications for anxiety are made up of plant extracts and herbs and that 85% of the world’s population use herbal medicines exclusively because no other remedies are available.

The most common herbs are:- valerian, kava kava, ginseng, lemon balm, St. John’s Wort and chamomile.  Kava works faster than the others and is not addictive at all.  Ginseng can reduce stress and help to balance mood.

Why not discover how help for depression and anxiety is easily found by looking at the natural remedies for depressions which are outlined in my website.