Many people fear seeking traditional medication for the treatment of anxiety disorders. While it’s not necessarily true in every case, prescription medications have been known to be addictive and even physically harmful. Therefore many sufferers of anxiety, or their family members since more than ever children are suffering from chronic anxiety, seek out alternative treatments besides prescription drugs.
These alternative treatments include alternative medicine, that is herbal and supplemental materials that contain anti-anxiety properties. Some of these forms of supplements include: (1) Kava Kava, an herbal treatment taken from the Kava crop of the western pacific. Kava Kava is not addictive though it still is said to have some very low possibility of violent allergic reactions. It can be taken upon symptoms appearing or daily in small doses. (2) Valerian Root: This herbal supplement is from the Valerian flower plant. It is known to have sedative properties capable of helping symptoms associated with insomnia and epilepsy. However, Valerian Root is also known to be mildly addictive. (3) St. John’s Wort: A hypericum species, (or general for all hypericum) is also known as Klamath weed or Goat weed. This can be made into an herbal treatment and is said to have properties capable of battling depression. In some countries it is actually prescribed for mild depression more often than traditional medication. (4) Other supplements include passion fruit, passion flower, hops, chamomile, magnesium and B-complex.
Many claims have been made of herbal supplements from the believable, (“helps cure symptoms of insomnia and epilepsy” to the implausible (“cures cancer” or “AIDS”).
But are these methods of alternative medicine, also called homeopathy or herbalism, effective in treating anxiety? According to the scientific community, no hard evidence has been produced to support the claims made by manufacturers of these herbal products. While there might be reason to believe herbal medicine can act as a sedative, is there any proof that it is an effective treatment for anxiety? Better yet, would it be a safe and effective treatment for patients who suffer from an anxiety disorder?
At this point in time, there is no evidence that taking herbal medicine can relieve anxiety though it is suggestible they do, given the testimony of many patients who say they have been helped by taking St. John’s Wort or Valerian Root. However, even traditional medication is not guaranteed to work with every individual; so alternative medicines are a gamble at best. The advantage however, they are believed to be less addictive and potentially harmful than more powerful drugs.
In the case of mild anxiety problems, herbal supplements are often times recommended as a preliminary to stronger medication, if it’s deemed necessary. Be careful of purchasing herbal drugs that seemingly come out of no where. Some manufacturers are more believable than others, and some products are at least verified not to be a health risk, whereas others could still be untested. Ask your doctor about any herbal supplements they can recommend if you don’t want to go the route of traditional medicine.
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