Posted by Hombre on December 1, 2010, at 7:22:17 [reposted on December 4, 2010, at 22:14:19 | original URL]
In reply to Xanax- Gotu Kola - what else, posted by tepi on November 30, 2010, at 22:34:49
This will probably go to alternative quick, but from my recent readings and personal experimentation, the following are supposed to be good for anxiety, which I assume is the major symptoms of social phobia:
- St. John's Wort, and
- lemonbalm
- holy basil, or maybe even non-hold basil
- albizzia bark or flower, tincture - the Chinese name refers to collective happiness.
- passionflower
- valerian
- jiaogulan (an calming, adaptogenic herb that can be made into tea)
- ashwagandhaAll of the adaptogens help with dealing with stress, but some are more stimulating than others.
-Eleuthero, a.k.a. Siberian ginseng (not a real ginseng) is a mild, all around adaptogen that seems to warm the body, which lends comfort and calm energy.
In terms of Chinese herbs,
- Asian Ginseng is indicated to calm the spirit. It is erroneously categorized as a stimulant/stimulating herb due to marketing. Some find American ginseng more calming. White Asian ginseng, not red, is similar in action to American ginseng.
- fu ling, or hoelen, known as poria or Indian bread, calms the spirit as well. There is actually a category of herbs that calm the spirit in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Ginseng, white atractylodes, poria and licorice root form a basic formula for lack of energy and spleen energy, which is related to worrying and compulsive thoughts and behavior.
- dragon bone (long gu - really fossilized bones, no bone left, just minerals), dragon teeth, and oyster shell (mu li) are used in formulas to calm the spirit. The main formula for this is Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang, available as a patent formula in pills, called Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Wan. Just cut-n-paste into Google to find retailers.
- schisandra is an adaptogen and calming herb.
In Ayurveda, along with ashwagandha for all around strengthening and tonification, as anxiety is usually a deficiency condition, there is shilajit, a fossilized mineral pitch that is a calming adaptogen.
There's always good old magnesium and calcium, which help many people to sleep well. I find magnesium critical in dealing with depression and anxiety, as well as fatigue. I take magnesium glycinate and citrate.
A forum member, BetweenDreams81, says lithium orotate helps her.
Herbs work best when taken regularly for a prolonged period of time, along with some light exercise and ideally meditation, which works directly on the stress mechanisms in the body and mind, along with the psychological aspects of emotions and the way we react to them. Google "vipassana" for one proven method, which incidentally has been used in a couple of prisons in Alabama to good effect. This is documented in the film "The Dhamma Brothers".
Best of luck.
poster:Hombre
thread:972515
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20101202/msgs/972517.html