Educational reference, not medical advice. Talk to a clinician before changing what you take.Read more.

Condition

Anxiety & stress

Excessive, persistent worry or stress that interferes with daily life.

Affects Brain

See a clinician

Some causes of anxiety & stress need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:

  • Thoughts of self-harm or suicide — seek emergency help immediately
  • New severe anxiety with chest pain, palpitations, or breathlessness (exclude a heart or lung cause)

What may help

Remedies studied for anxiety & stress, ranked by strength of evidence.

  • B
    Ashwagandha herb

    Reduces perceived stress, anxiety scores, and cortisol; trials are small and short.

  • B
    Lavender oil herb

    Oral lavender oil (Silexan 80 mg/day) reduces anxiety, comparable to low-dose paroxetine or lorazepam in trials.

  • B
    Saffron herb

    Meta-analysis shows a large reduction in anxiety symptoms versus placebo (Hedges g ≈ 0.95); trials are small, short, and geographically concentrated.

  • C
    Chamomile herb

    May reduce generalized anxiety symptoms acutely; long-term relapse prevention is unproven.

  • C
    Holy basil herb

    An 8-week RCT lowered perceived stress and cortisol more than placebo, and a small GAD trial reduced anxiety — but trials are few, short, and partly industry-linked.

  • C
    Kava herb

    A Cochrane meta-analysis shows a real reduction in anxiety versus placebo (~5 points on the Hamilton scale), but the grade is capped by a documented risk of serious, sometimes fatal, liver injury.

  • C
    L-theanine supplement

    May reduce stress in healthy adults; weak evidence for diagnosed anxiety disorders.

  • C
    Lemon balm herb

    Pooled trials show a significant reduction in anxiety versus placebo, but the estimate is imprecise and based on few, small, heterogeneous studies.

  • C
    Passionflower herb

    Small RCTs suggest reduced anxiety — comparable to low-dose oxazepam in one GAD trial, and less pre-operative anxiety — but trials are few, small, and short.

Therapy (CBT) and, when needed, medication are first-line. Ashwagandha and standardized lavender oil (Silexan) have the best supplement evidence; chamomile and L-theanine are weaker. These are adjuncts, not substitutes for care.