How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety with Herbs

Kava Kava

Kava Kava is one of the main anti-anxiety herbs. It has a very quick calming effect on the nervous system with an uplifting, euphoric feeling. It is also a muscle rel St. John’s Wort. This tiny summer flower received national publicity during a Barbara Walters TV special during the late 1990s. Its primary constituent, hypericin, was isolated in 1942 and, according to the Merck Manual, was used successfully in clinical settings for relieving moderate depression.

It is called St. John’s Wort or herb, because it blooms in England on Saint John’s day in June.
Scullcap. This nervine, a favorite of herbalist John Christopher, repairs nerves damaged by stress as well as relieving insomnia and hypertension. A familiar combination adds scullcap to hops and valerian, to calm the mind during stressful situations. It is most effective when taken during the evening.Valerian. Perhaps the most familiar of the American nervine herbs, valerian is memorable due to the odor of ‘smelly socks’ that develops during the drying process.

This is one herb that becomes even more effective the longer it's stored. This is because its function doesn't come from an aromatic oil that can evaporate, as in peppermint or chamomile, but from an ester — an alcohol-acid molecular compound created during the drying process — which becomes stronger over time. Chamomile. With a long history of use in France, this tiny flower is a safe source of the amino acid tryptophan, useful in treating insomnia. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reported using chamomile tea in a hospital to induce relaxation and sleep when other drugs were not working.

For ten out of twelve patients, chamomile worked like a charm. This is one of the safest herbs for children; however, it may cause reactions for some who are allergic to ragweed.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)This is a non-addictive sedative that relaxes the nervous system. It is especially helpful for nervous disorders such as heart palpitations, anxiety, convulsions, epilepsy, insomnia, and stress. Verbena (Verbena officinalis)

This is a relaxing nervous system tonic which is indicated for a wide range of nervous disorders including nervous exhaustion and stress. http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/anxiety/treatment/alternative_treatment_... http://back-to-eden.net/article_traditional.htm There are various types of biofeedback tapes and CDs that can help retrain your brainwaves or just offer some peaceful reinforcement after a busy day. If there is no family history of anxiety prevalent, then you may be experiencing an unhealed childhood trauma of some kind.

 Modeling an anxious parent is common and/or some kind of accident or event/experience that you were not able to process with an immature child's mind can be the source. I highly recommend energy medicine healing techniques, like EFT (www.emofree.com). This site is a wealth of information on anxiety and trauma healing examples, where a simple technique has cured many issues, such as yours. One may experience a racing heartbeat, tightness in the chest, rapid breathing, or tingling in the hands and feet. The physical effects of anxiety accrue over time, and can lead to anxiety disorders.

WARNING: BOTH KAVA KAVA AND ST. JOHN'S WORT ARE NOT TO BE USED WITH MEDICAL ANTI-DEPRESSANT DRUGS.