Three herbal anxiety remedies can stop anxiety now. They relieve generalized anxiety disorder symptoms at a lower cost and with fewer side effects than most prescription medications. The one thing you need to know about herbal anxiety remedies is that they really do work, so you do not want to use them while you are still taking doctor-prescribed medication.

The world best-known herbal depression remedy is also a very useful herbal anxiety remedy. St. John wort is the natural remedy of choice when anxiety is coupled with depression. Acting as an anti-inflammatory, this herb helps the brain dealing with the byproducts of the excessive sugar consumption, too much caffeine, and stress hormones.

The downside of using St. John wort is that you must not take it if you have used Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, or just about any other prescription medication for depression in the last four to six weeks. When the herb is taken with any of these drugs, the result can be This is the overproduction of the neurotransmitter serotonin that not only lifts depression, but also can cause a mild form of mania. Also, if you are so anxious and depressed that you simply cannot function, you should seek professional assistance.

An Ayurvedic herbal anxiety remedy that few people know about but that can be very helpful is gotu kola. Also known as Centella asiatica, this herb acts on the area of the brain that generates the floating form of anxiety. It also modifies the startle reflex so that if loud noises make you want to out of your skin, taking the herb will make these noises merely distracting.

The advantage this Indian herb has over many pharmaceutical treatments for generalized anxiety disorder is that it produces no undesirable side effects with regard to mood swings, memory, or blood pressure. Women who are trying to get pregnant, however, should not take gotu kola, since it can stop ovulation.

The third herbal anxiety remedy comes from the South Pacific island of Tahiti. Tahitians take kava to relieve anxiety the same way people in most of the rest of the world use alcohol, only without having to deal with a hangover the next day. This herb contains compounds that act in the brain in the same way as the tranquilizers Ativan, Librium, Valium, and Xanax. Like the tranquillizers, kava can make it a little harder to get out of bed in the morning, but once you do wake up, you will feel relaxed and refreshed, alert enough safely to go about your day. Throughout the European Union, doctors prescribe kava to treat phobias and social anxiety.

About 15 years ago there was a scare that the use of kava could result in liver damage. A closer look at the complaints, however, revealed that in 34 out of 36 cases the person named in the report had taken one or more other medications that usually cause liver damage, or had liver disease before ever starting kava.