It wasn’t until I moved to Bali Indonesia a few years back that I ran into the best herb for anxiety and depression on the market today.
The people in Bali used this herb exclusively for free radical damage caused by stress, and they mentioned how it also prevented premature aging as well as chronic illness (which explains why many of the 90 year olds still look around 60 there). So I had to give it a shot even though I had tried everything out there already. To my surprise I realized quickly that this herb was simply MADE for people dealing with anxiety and depression.
Why Ashwagandha Is The Best Herb For Anxiety And Depression
Now before I go on and tell you the benefits, my own personal story with this herb let me explain something that is really important here for you. You’re reading this post because you either want to learn how to deal with stress better in your daily life, you have an anxiety disorder and are searching for a natural solution after trying pretty much everything already, or you’re in need of some motivation in the form of a success story from someone who’s been in your anxious shoes, and has come out the other side. For you I say this:
Herbs Should Be Viewed And Taken As A Sidekick And Not A Potential Cure For Your Anxiety
Believe in your trusty sidekick… Ashwagandha!
Hope I didn’t step on any toes there, but it’s the cold hard truth. My personal natural recovery from an anxiety disorder didn’t begin until I reached a point in my life where I believed no external help in the form of herbs or pills, was going to make me all better. So with this new found approach to ending your anxiety disorder natural let’s get to my favourite anxiety herb on the market today.
Whether it’s to improve your ability to think in a more straight forward manner, decrease pain and swelling caused by inflammation or for treating wounds Ashwagandha is a multi purpose plant. The power of this herb combined with a CBT approach to ending the cycle of fear and anxiety, along with a specific diet can do absolutely wonders for you as it has done for many people around the world.
In Many Studies Taken Place Recently Ashwagandha Has Been Shown To Be As Effective As Many Anti Anxiety Medications and Antidepressants
But back to my own experience with this herb for a second. After orally taking Ashwagandha for 7 days straight I began to feel similar anxiety relieving feelings as taking Ativan (Lorazepam, a very popular anti anxiety prescription medication that doctors are famous for pushing down our throats). In a seperate study when Ashwagandha was given to some chronically stressed out animals the number of degenerating brain cells was reduced by 80%.
I mean I know they’re animals but that’s still awesome!
Nope, no worries here.
We all know the effects that chronic stress has on our minds as well as our bodies, and it’s our job to push back against anxiety, degenerative disease and premature aging. What we don’t need is to be taking something orally for the benefits it might have for our mental health, and at the same time worry about what the side effects are to taking what we’re taking!
This is where an amazing anxiety herb such as Ashwagandha can be helpful. No side effects which equals no worries. This indian herb has demonstrated excellent results in my own personal past life with anxiety and depression, and it may do the same for you. So what do you really have to lose, except maybe a few notches on that high stress and anxiety scale you’re currently dealing with…
Have you tried Ashwagandha or another type of herb that has worked well for you? Join the conversation and share your experiences in the comment section below.
Yes. I have tried this, we called it a Japanese lantern. Tasty. Difficult to source. The fragile yet beautiful outer shell of the lantern makes the fruit inside all the more special.
Japanese lantern, neat. Thanks for the insight vontoast.
Where do you buy this?
Here is one option Sue: http://www.Swansonvitamins.com
Ware can i get it n how do u take it?
trac I normally used it in a powder form using a teaspoon and a half, there’s a trusted link I posted above where you can find it easily. Also many organic markets around my community carry them so you may want to take a look around. Just make sure to stay away from buying herbs from bigger named companies, those are pretty much garbage.
Interesting. Like your clarifying its to be used as a “sidekick.” Curious about contraindications with Western pharmaceuticals. Any info along those lines, Dennis?
I’ll get right on it Eric but I believe it’s overall pretty ‘clean’ if my memory is working right.
I agree with Eric. Making sure this is not the ONE thing that you do with hopes of a cure is key to understanding how it works in your benefit.
Well put Tammy thank you.
Good question. I think more people would want to try this out and would have it with other medications they are taking.
I did not find this herb particularly useful, personally, though I wasn’t able to get it for long, so perhaps I needed to use it for a longer period.
The length could have definitely played a part chemire. I’m sure many of the other blog posts on here will lead you in the right direction 🙂
I felt the same way. I think I might have to do a longer dose time table to see results.
Surely gives me an idea that this is a great and powerful herb to help cure for anxiety and depression.
Thank you for sharing!
Remember, as written it acts as a sidekick and not a full cure for health anxiety.
I can sort of understand now why it is the best herb, Always nice to know that their are plants/herb that are their to help you with anxiety.
It’s definitely a safer route to take than medications in my opinion. too often anxiety sufferers go to medications and endless therapy sessions too quickly, instead of seeing what has worked for someone else and following a natural route.
I prefer to use organic options whenever possible. After doing research about getting help with anxiety, this seems like the best option.
It is a fantastic sidekick I agree Fred. Give it time to do it’s work though as many people look for instant results, and get disappointed quickly.
I’ve been taking a variety of herbs since my late 20s when a chronic medical condition only got much worse with prescription drugs.
Through acupuncture and “sidekick” herbs as you so wisely call them, I completely recovered from my illness and went on to embrace holistic solutions.
I totally and completely agree about the importance of combining a powerful herb such as Ashwagandha with CBT and solid nutritional support. Taken alone, any of the three might not be nearly as effective.
I also agree it’s important to find the highest quality of any herb you take to avoid products which aren’t as pure as others.
As always Dennis, thank you so much for sharing so many of your amazing secrets to finding a path to successful healing. I appreciate it more than you could possibly know.
You’re an inspiration Karen, the ‘tools’ you’ve used to curb your anxiety are fantastic and hope many others take your advice.
Thank you so much for your kind words Dennis. Coming from you they mean so very much.
I have never heard of ASHWAGANDHA. Thanks for posting about this and including a website option in the comments above. I have a sister with minor anxiety and she does not want to take prescriptions anymore. Thanks!
The end the anxiety program is a proven alternative that you can learn more about through this website Haley.
How much does it costs?
I’m sure it varies from store to store Jason. Best to visit your local health store or farmers market and weight the prices. In tea form the price can be quite affordable.
I am going to take a look at this. You put up some great points for everyone to learn from and I like that.
Thanks Karen.
I bought this a couple days ago from my health food store and I have been experiencing severe anxiety about 20 minutes after I take it I don’t know if it’s related or not I did unfortunately Google and other people have had adverse reactions so I’m not sure if I am or if it’s in my head or what but I know I’m very very sensitive to all medications and supplements I just had to stop taking a B-Complex yesterday because it made my anxiety so severe I almost went to the hospital
Could be a number of reasons for the Michelle, best to see a naturopath to connect the reasons why.
I should add you can’t take anything if you are on SSRIs. Get off that rubbish first.
What you are saying doesn’t make any sense unless you work for GSK
I take it and it works. (Powder in warm milk with honey). I mean it really works. You notice the effects. Haven’t slept 8 hours a night for a long long time until I started taking this miracle herb. Turmeric is also very good but this is better. I sometimes take both. That said you shouldn’t just rely on herbs. If you suffer depression anxiety you should also be taking the full rage of vitamins (esp B), magnesium, zinc and fish oil and be on a healthy diet.
Thanks for the input John.
So happy to find this. This herb has done SO much for reducing my anxiety and helping me sleep again after hitting age 50 (I’m a female). It is also said to help strengthen immunity. Whether it is the herb and/or the bee pollen I also take daily, I haven’t been sick in a couple years aside from one day of food poisoning and a half day of almost-cae-down-with-the-flu but then it just went away!
Thanks for sharing your personal experience Maria.
Can you refer me to a good brand? Also, do you know if you can take Ashwagandha and CBD oils together?
I would suggest Natural Factors as a brand and I wouldn’t be too concerned over the combination of CBD oil and Ashwagandha. Most people I help through my program have never had an issue with combining this adaptogen with CBD oil as it works to counter the tired effects of the oil many times.
If I am already one anti anxiety medication can I take this herb also?
Best to discuss with your doctor, sometimes they can conflict.