The secret to living a life that’s happy and stress-free lies in these nine herbs! Keep reading to find out more.
Enjoy a Stress-Free Life with These Herbs
1. Ashwagandha
If you’re looking for a way to make life more stress-free, you can begin with Ashwagandha. This is one of the most powerful herbs in India and is highly revered in Ayurvedic medicine.
In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, more than 60 people with chronic stress participated. Some of them received a full-spectrum Ashwagandha capsule twice a day for 60 days.
The results then suggested those who took the drug experienced a significant reduction in levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. They also developed higher resistance to stress while the herb didn’t produce any serious side effect.
2. Valerian Root
Usually, stress, lack of sleep, and anxiety go hand in hand. If you’re dealing with all three, one of the best herbs for stress and anxiety is valerian root.
The perennial flowering plant that grows mostly in Europe and Asia contains components that influence gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which reduces the activity of the amygdala and hippocampus of the brain. Both of these can increase your perception of threats and, thus, worsen your feelings of stress and anxiety.
What is a neurotransmitter? These are chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate.
Relax & Unwind is a supplement that contains valerian root. It can help normalize your sleep, especially if your burnout is keeping you awake at night.
3. Maca
Maca is another one of those herbs that can help make your life stress-free. It is a type of adaptogen, which means it allows your body to cope with the physiological and mental changes due to stress.
In one of the animal studies, mice that received maca experienced a reduction in corticosterone. It also boosted the production of noradrenaline and dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that provides you with a natural high, allowing you to derive pleasure from rewards. Noradrenaline, meanwhile, works similarly as adrenaline.
It can increase your heart rate, dilate your blood vessels, and widen the lungs for air. The biggest difference is it doesn’t have any stimulatory effect, so you don’t develop the feeling of fight-flight response.
It doesn’t come as a surprise why it’s one of the best herbs for increasing energy and vitality.
4. Kava Root
Stress is one of the daunting enemies for people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It is a chronic pervasive type of anxiety that can be debilitating.
It’s not the easiest mental health disorder to treat, but some herbs showed efficacy. One of the natural herbs for stress and anxiety is kava root.
A common crop in the Pacific Islands, kava works similarly as valerian root by working on enhancing the GABA pathway. The plant, however, is not hypnotic, so you can still function well.
5. Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the wonder herbs because of its long list of health benefits. It’s one of the best herbs for depression and stress, thanks to curcumin.
When a person is under chronic stress, it also raises the risk of chronic inflammation. Picture it as the body on fire.
When it’s under chronic inflammation, the body releases more cytokines, which are proteins that act as messengers for the immune system.
While they are normally good for you, a lot of cytokines can only result in a crisis. It means they can kill cells and damage the tissues, as well as increase the likelihood of depression-like behavior.
A study published in Neuroscience revealed curcumin can work as an antagonist for this protein and repress inflammatory responses, particularly in the brain.
RELATED: 10 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress
6. Rhodiola
Another herb that can improve your life, making it more stress-free, is Rhodiola. Also known as the arctic root, it usually grows in the colder regions of Asia and Europe, especially Russia.
Rhodiola is a known adaptogen, alleviating the feelings of stress and fatigue. In one of the 2017 studies, those who took at least 400 mg of the extract showed significant improvements in factors associated with stress and burnout.
Even more surprising, these individuals developed a higher tolerance for stress even only after a week of consuming it.
You can take a full-spectrum Rhodiola or have Rising Energy. A jar contains not only arctic root but also maca and other adaptogenic herbs.
7. Lemon Balm
One of the long-standing herbs for stress relief is the lemon balm. In fact, its history as a medicinal herb goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks.
Based on animal studies, this can modulate both your mood and cognitive function. It doesn’t only enhance your sense of well-being but also improves learning and memory, to name a few.
You can also administer it in different ways such as topical (on the skin) or capsule. You may also make it into a drink or combine it with yogurt.
8. Lavender
Do you ever wonder why you feel more stress-free when you inhale lavender? Studies showed it’s one of the best natural herbs for anxiety and stress.
Take, for example, one of the clinical trials involving Silexan, which is an oral preparation of lavender oil. Those who consumed it reduced their symptoms associated with GAD such as restlessness, agitation, and disturbed sleep.
In another similar study, those who consumed Silexan for a period of six weeks improved their symptoms the same way as Lorazepam, a common treatment for anxiety, did.
9. Chasteberry
Women who have reproductive issues may be less stress-free than those who don’t. Worse, there may be a link between stress and infertility.
Stress can impact your fertility as it may lead to hormone imbalance. For instance, high levels of cortisol can inhibit the function of progesterone, the hormone that stimulates the production of luteinizing hormone that induces ovulation.
One of the herbs you can try is chasteberry. A well-known medicinal plant since ancient times, it can improve your libido. It also optimizes the levels of progesterone and even helps women deal with premenstrual discomfort.
These herbs for stress and anxiety won’t guarantee you’ll never go through burnout and fatigue anymore, but they can help ensure you won’t feel their effects significantly. In turn, you can improve your quality of life and spend more days feeling stress-free.
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