What are the best anxiety supplements, and should you take them?
Jump To The BestFor the most part the answer is yes, but only to a point. No supplement is going to be enough to overcome a severe stress response. However, mild anxiety and stress can be helped. Particularly if it's related to a vitamin deficiency such as vitamin d. Several randomized clinical trials have been shown to be effective in relieving stress or physical symptoms of stress. So yes, they do help, but if your stress is caused by an issue that hasn't been resolved, or severe anxiety then you are much better off speaking to a healthcare professional.
Vitamin deficiencies can cause anxiety and stress, the most notable are vitamin b, magnesium and vitamin d deficiency. It's been shown that magnesium supplements are effective for both sleep related issues and stress and healthy sleep is essential for flushing cortisol (the stress hormone) from the brain. As for b vitamins they've been shown to be essential for reducing cortisol in high stress situations and vitamin d levels are well known to correlate with overall mood and stress. It's worth supplementing for these, particularly for vitamin d as almost half of the US population is deficient, this becomes especially important in winter. And vitamin supplementation is ultimately the most cost effective and safest form of supplementation.
Dietary supplements are usually safe with only mild side effects reported excluding allergies, although some supplements designed to help manage anxiety can have interactions with other medications, so if you are at an increased risk of side effects as a result it is important to consult a healthcare professional before taking any supplements. The most common side effects are typically related to an upset stomach or other form of gastrointestinal issue. All of the supplements on our list are known to be safe in general although the FDA does not regulate supplements as long as the ingredients are marked as safe for human consumption and they don't directly claim to treat a medical condition.
Ashwagandha
As far as dietary supplements go, ashwagandha is one of the go to options. If you're on a particularly tight budget, we would recommend starting with a multivitamin and an ashwagandha supplement. However, do take note that you need a dosage of 500-600mg, and some people do have some side effects. This can be reduced by taking them with food, as nausea is the most common issue. For men it can also raise testosterone levels, which can have a secondary effect in that it too will reduce stress levels.
L Theanine
This extract from green tea has been shown to be particularly effective to manage stress and has been tested on multiple participants suffering with an anxiety disorder. As a result it makes it into pretty much all of our recommended anxiety supplements. If you're looking for a low budget alternative to ashwagandha and a multivitamin, then go for L Theanine.
Magnesium
Magnesium supplements have been shown to aid stress management in multiple trials, it's in a lot of the combined supplements that we recommend, however, if you're not getting enough in your diet naturally, it's definitely worth trying. Although a multivitamin will likely suffice.
Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola has been shown to be nearly as effective as prescription medications in some trials for aiding with social anxiety disorder, however there are a fair few trials to the contrary on this. However, it has been shown repeatedly to be effective at treating stress overall and is one of the best over the counter medications for stress.
Valerian Root
We like valerian root, however, the reason it's not in a lot of the combined supplements it that it can interact with blood pressure medications.
Chamomile Extract
This is one of those supplements that's almost common wisdom. We've all heard that a cup of chamomile tea will help reduce stress. And there is some truth in that, multiple studies suggest that the extract is actually more effective.
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573577/
2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836118/
3 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8704602/
4 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/
6 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1863555/
7 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6982118/
8 -https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4237891/