Do you feel overwhelmed when meeting new people?

Are you a nervous wreck a day before an interview?

Does it feel like you’re dommed minutes before a presentation?

Anxiety is the body’s response to stress.

And in some people, it’s way worse than just a feeling of nervousness. 

There is no direct cure for anxiety, but you may manage it with vitamins and herbs contained in this supplement.

What supplement is best for anxiety?

Before I get to the best supplement that may finally put a stop to your weary mind, let’s talk about the herbs and vitamins.

Vitamins and herbs for anxiety

The following are vitamins and herbs that may help with your anxiety:

Magnesium

An inadequate magnesium intake is linked with anxiety in humans. Less serum Mg levels have also been related to depressive symptomology [1] and suicidal ideations [2]. Magnesium consumption decreases depression-related behavior and is more effective as adjunctive therapy for depression, mood swings, and mania [3]. 

Calcium

Ca is very important in nervous system ailments such as dementia, apprehension, and anxiety. Hypocalcemia can cause irritability, mania and agitation, and anxiety in humans.[4].

Vitamin B6

Anxiety can fluctuate both intensely and over time because it is an emotional, mental condition.[5] Insufficiencies of micronutrients like B6 are related to the increased prevalence of anxiety.[6] This has led to increased recognition of dietary deficit and suboptimal nutrient position, contributing to the fundamental reasons of mood instabilities.

L-Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. It is a precursor of serotonin (neurotransmitter). This neurotransmitter is involved in the regulation of mood and anxiety. Minimum levels of brain serotonin can cause anxiety and depression.[7] Nutritional values of L-Tryptophan are seen as vital for good intellectual health. 

Goji Chamomile

Goji Chamomile is one of the ancient medicinal herbs. Many terpenoids and flavonoids are extracted from dried flowers of chamomile. This aqueous chamomile extract has been used as a minor sedative to calm nerves, decrease anxiety, and treat panic, nightmares, and insomnia.[8] It has also been testified in the management of (GAD).[9]

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Melissa officinalis has been used anciently as a regulator of mood and mental function, with anxiolytic properties.[10] It is used alone or in combination with various herbs. Lemon balm is reported to treat anxiety, stress, insomnia,  and dementia.

Passion Flower

Passionflower signifies the desire of Jesus in Christian divinity because of its whole ‎structure. Conventionally, the herbal remedy of passionflower is used for nervous disorders like anxiety and ‎insomnia, tenderness, restlessness, irritability, and hysteria. Passionflower is used as a safe (less adverse effects) add-on therapy to manage generalized ‎anxiety disorder (GAD).[11]

L-Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid that is the precursor to Gaba aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It helps to down the excitatory neurotransmitter of the brain and calm the person from anxiety.[12] Many clinical pieces of shreds of evidence suggested that deficiency of taurine can cause depression.

Hops

Hops are taken from plants and are used orally for anxiety, sleep disorders such as the inability to sleep (insomnia) or disturbed sleep due to rotating night-time work hours (shift work disorder), restlessness, tension, excitability, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), nervousness, irritability, and some other brain disorders.[13]

St. John’s Wort:

This herbal remedy has been used for hundreds of years for mental health problems. Today it is used as the counter remedy for treating mild and moderate depression, calm anxiety, and sleep disorders.[14]

GABA

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter as it blocks, or inhibits, specific brain signals and slows down the activity of your nervous system.[15] When GABA attaches itself to one particular protein in the brain known as the GABA receptor, it produces a calming effect. This can help with feelings of depression, anxiety, and fear.

Skullcap

It’s thought that the American Skullcap can have a positive impact on mood and helps with anxiety by modifying the part of your brain that calms you down. 

For years, Skullcap has been used as a traditional medicine to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia and anxiety. 

L-Theanine

L-theanine reduces the excitatory brain chemicals that contribute to anxiety or stress. It encourages those chemicals that decrease brain activity. [16]It has even been known to lower stress-related blood pressure and heart rate.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has some chemicals that reduce brain activity. It also reduces swelling (inflammation), lowers blood pressure, and alters immunity.[17]

Inositol:

Inositol helps balance essential chemicals in the brain, including those affecting moods, such as serotonin and dopamine. [18] Researchers have found that some people with anxiety, depression, and compulsive disorders have lower levels of inositol in their brains.

5-HTP

Some early research showed that taking 25-150 mg of 5-HTP orally daily and carbidopa seems to reduce anxiety in people with anxiety disorders.[19] However, some other early researches showed that taking higher doses of 5-HTP seems to make anxiety worse.

Conclusion

What supplement is best for anxiety? 

When looking for the best supplement for anxiety, bear in mind those ingredients mentioned.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is not common in most foods. That’s why GABA is one of the most sought-after ingredients for stress, anxiety, and sleep supplements. 

We’ve added this effective ingredient against anxiety and stress disorders in our natural sleep supplement, Dream.

Furthermore, to increase Dream’s potency to calm the mind, reduce stress, and induce sleep, we’ve added other potent ingredients. 

These ingredients complement each other to help you finally breeze through anything and, more importantly, calm the mind and catch up on much-needed zZz.

References:

1. Hashizume N., Mori M. An analysis of hypermagnesemia and hypomagnesemia. Jpn. J. Med. 1990;294:368–372. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine1962.29.368. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2. Banki C.M., Vojnik M., Papp Z., Balla K.Z., Arató M. Cerebrospinal-fluid magnesium and calcium related to amine metabolites, diagnosis, and suicide attempts. Biol. Psychiatry. 1985;202:163–171. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(85)90076-9. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
3. Pavlinac D., Langer R., Lenhard L., Deftos L. Magnesium in Affective-Disorders. Biol. Psychiatry. 1979;144:657–661. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
4. Jimerson DC, Post RM, Carman JS, van Kammen DP, Wood JH, Goodwin FK, Bunney WE., Jr CSF calcium: clinical correlates in affective illness and schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 1979;14:37–51. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
5. Whiteford H.A., Ferrari A.J., Degenhardt L., Feigin V., Vos T. The global burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders: An analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. PLoS ONE. 2015;10:e0116820. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116820. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
6. Almeida O.P., Ford A.H., Flicker L. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of folate and vitamin B12 for depression. Int. Psychogeriatr. 2015;27:727–737. doi: 10.1017/S1041610215000046. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
7. Fernstrom JD. Large neutral amino acids: dietary effects on brain neurochemistry and function. Amino Acids. 2013;45(3):419–430. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
8. Awad R, Levac D, Cybulska P, Merali Z, Trudeau VL, Arnason JT. Effects of traditionally used anxiolytic botanicals on enzymes of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007;85:933–942. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
9. Amsterdam JD, Li Y, Soeller I, Rockwell K, Mao JJ, Shults J. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (Chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2009;29:378–382. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
10. Kennedy D., Wake G., Savelev S., Tildesley N., Perry E., Wesnes K., Scholey A. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of single doses of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) with human CNS nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-binding properties. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003;28:1871–1881. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300230. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
11. ‎‎Perna R. Benzodiazepines and antipsychotics: cognitive side effects. The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation. 2004;19:516–518. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
12. Jeon SW, Kim YK. Molecular Neurobiology and Promising New Treatment in Depression. International journal of molecular sciences. 2016;17:381. doi: 10.3390/ijms17030381. [PubMed]
13. Ramin Shishehgar, Ali Rezaie and Mehrdad Nazeri, 2012. Study of Sedation, Pre-Anesthetic and Anti-Anxiety Effects of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Extract Compared with Diazepam in Rats. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 2570-2575. [Researchgate]
14. Kasper S, Caraci F, Forti B, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of Hypericum extract for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2010;20(11):747–765. [PubMed]
15. Lydiard RB. The role of GABA in anxiety disorders. J Clin Psychiatry. 2003;64(3):21–27. – PubMed
16. Hidese S., Ota M., Wakabayashi C., Noda T., Ozawa H., Okubo T., Kunugi H. Effects of chronic l-theanine administration in patients with major depressive disorder: An open-label study. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2017;29:72–79. doi: 10.1017/neu.2016.33. [PubMed]
17. Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Sairam K, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study. Phytomedicine 2000;7:463–9 [PubMed]
18. Vladimir Trkulja, Hrvoje Barić, Current Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: An Evidence-Based Review, Major Depressive Disorder, 10.1007/978-981-33-6044-0_20, (375-427), (2021). [Pubmed]
19. Van Praag H.M. In search of the mode of action of antidepressants. 5-htp/tyrosine mixtures in depressions. Neuropharmacology. 1983;22:433–440. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(83)90193-4. [PubMed]