Top Anti-Anxiety Supplements

Tackling the problem of anxiety with supplements can be a powerful solution. Based on the available evidence, it appears that nutritional and herbal supplementation is an incredibly effective method for treating anxiety and anxiety-related conditions, usually without the risk of serious side effects. In fact, many supplements have been proven even more effective than some conventional medications.1

The supplements I recommend are natural, made either using ingredients that come from nature or straight from foods. A lot of these supplements are anxiolytic as well as immune-boosting. There is evidence that too much anxiety can weaken the immune system dramatically. Anxiety puts stress on the body, which, in turn, releases cortisol that creates more anxiety in the body. Anxiety is a two-way street. We also know that people who are unwell tend to feel more anxious. The biological effects of stress on immunity are multifaceted, including complex neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter interactions.2 Neuroendocrine cells receive messages from nerves and respond by releasing hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones coordinate and influence metabolic functions, mood, and behavior.

Why We Need a Boost of Nutrients:

A supplement is either a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid that is designed to complement a diet of whole and prepared foods and beverages by providing missing nutrients or higher doses of certain nutrients. Supplements can be incredibly useful for rapidly putting sufficient amounts of a nutrient into your body, especially if you are nutrient deficient.

Nutrient absorption can vary from person to person, even meal to meal. The number of nutrients that your body absorbs from food as you metabolize it in the digestive tract can range from less than 10 percent to greater than 90 percent. Adequate nutrient levels are vital to our well-being and yet there are many possible causes for poor nutrient absorption: having a weak gut lining; a microbiome imbalance, such as bacterial or fungal overgrowth (aka dysbiosis); damage to the intestines from inflammation or infection; prolonged use of antibiotics; celiac disease; leaky gut syndrome; Crohn’s disease; food allergies; surgery; liver disease; pancreatic insufficiency; or an autoimmune disease.

After years of junk food binge-eating, I had done so much damage to my gut that I was not absorbing nutrients from the majority of what I ate. Although I was eating a lot of food, I was chronically malnourished! My solution was to do a detoxifying cleanse and follow this up with supplementation to boost my nutrient intake. Clean, whole foods are the ideal source of nutrition if you are healthy and your organs are functioning well. But in my opinion, doing a detox is incredibly important if you are unwell and you want to ensure that your body is absorbing the maximum quantity of nutrients from your foods and supplements.

Note: We have to be careful when choosing supplements because some of the manufacturers in the supplement industry are sneaky with their ingredients—they dilute or replace them—and some will manufacture a substandard product that costs very little to make while charging a huge price for it.

It is important to make sure you read the ingredient labels, as some contain fillers, additives, colors, and synthetics. A plant-based vegetarian outer capsule is best.

Once you get to know the supplement brands you can trust, stick to them. Since researching and writing this article I started taking many of the supplements I am about to mention. I came up with a formula that lowered my anxiety levels within 10 minutes and in 20 minutes constantly felt like a new person. My supplements include Ashwagandha, Vitamin C, magnesium, L-Theanine, passionflower, lemon balm, holy basil, spirulina, flax oil, omegas from algae, turmeric, and methylated B complex which is a powerful blend to help with nutrition deficiency, increase dopamine naturally, improve mood, increase brain activity which also calming the nervous system, improves focus, strengthens the immune system and defeat stress. They are high quality, I was involved in every step of the process and I personally take these supplements myself. You’ll find information about the supplements I created and my suggestions in the Resources at LianaWernerGray.com/AnxietyFreeSupps

Respecting Your Bioindividuality:

It might come as a relief to you to know there are so many great supplements that can help reduce anxiety—some providing noticeable difference within minutes of taking it. I was immediately excited when I was researching this topic.

It’s important to mention that I do not take all the supplements in this article, nor do I recommend that you do so! I wanted to provide you with a comprehensive list, so I’ve included the most common supplements, those with the best scientific backing, and my personal favorites so you could decide for yourself which supplements would be best for you.

Here is where the principle of bio-individuality comes into play. It is an invitation for you to choose the foods and supplements that work for you and your unique needs rather than what’s considered “best.” I recommend introducing supplements slowly, one at a time, so you can tune in to your body and really feel what each one is doing. Remember to read labels carefully to figure out doses and any contraindications. Be sure to ask the advice of your doctor or health-care professional before taking supplements, especially if you are taking any medications or have health conditions. There are many supplements that can affect pharmaceuticals that a person is taking. If you are taking my Anxiety-Free supplements, I created the dosage amounts to provide a synergy that works for most people, and I also did not include ingredients that are known to interfere with a lot of medications. Now let’s jump into an A-to-Z guide to the most recommended and studied anti-anxiety supplements.

The A-to-Z Guide to Antianxiety Supplements:

•       5-HTP

•       Açai

•       Aloe vera/aloe juice

•       Amino acids

•       Arginine, see Amino acids

•       Ashwagandha

•       Astragalus

•       B-complex vitamins

•       Blue-green algae

•       Burdock root

•       Cannabis (marijuana/THC)

•       Cannabidiol (CBD) oil

•       Chamomile

•       Chlorella, see Blue-green algae

•       Chlorophyll

•       Copper, colloidal

•       Curcumin, see Turmeric

•       Essential oils

•       Fish oil

•       Folate, see B-complex vitamins

•       GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), see Amino acids

•       Gold, colloidal

•       Holy basil (tulsi)

•       Inositol, see B-complex vitamins

•       Kava kava

•       Lemon balm

•       Licorice root

•       Lysine, see Amino acids

•       Magnesium

•       Magnolia bark

•       Manganese

•       Melatonin

•       Niacin (vitamin B3), see B-complex vitamins

•       Omega-3 fatty acids, see Fish oil and Flax oil

•       Passionflower

•       Philodendron bark

•       Prebiotics

•       Probiotics

•       Rhodiola

•       Schisandra

•       Silver, colloidal

•       Skullcap

•       Spirulina, see Blue-green algae

•       St. John’s wort

•       Theanine, see Amino acids

•       Thiamine, see B-complex vitamins

•       Tryptophan, see Amino acids

•       Tulsi, see Holy basil

•       Turmeric

•       Tyrosine, see Amino acids

•       Valerian root

•       Vitamin C

•       Vitamin D

•       Zinc