Table of Contents
What is anxiety
Anxiety is a behavioral disorder that can significantly affect the quality of life. It is a common disorder that can affect children, adults and the elderly, although it occurs more frequently in young girls and women. Anxiety sufferers experience typical symptoms which include agitation, increased heart rate, decreased salivation, excessive sweating, tremor, mental confusion, difficulty concentrating and holding a conversation. Often these symptoms are accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain.
In most cases, anxiety-related manifestations are triggered as a result of an event or situation perceived as stressful: Anxious people show symptoms in conjunction with a job interview, an important appointment, a college exam, or an interrogation. These events are perceived as dangerous by the anxious person, triggering a “fight or flight” response, given by the decrease in control over the inhibitory type of neuronal transmission path. In other cases, anxiety can be completely unrelated to a real threat and symptoms can manifest without there being a trigger. We therefore speak of generalized anxiety and sufferers may have sleep, mood, and digestive disturbances and experience a persistent, seemingly causeless sense of distress or agitation.
Remedies
For calm the symptoms of anxiety it can help to act on lifestyle and nutrition. Eat light meals e follow a balanced and healthy diet it is certainly useful to ensure proper functioning of the organism. In case of anxiety, it is good to avoid taking drinks, foods and supplements with a stimulating action such as coffee, tea, cola, guarana and chocolate. Practice meditation, try your hand at simple breathing techniques and do one light but constant physical activity are other very good remedies to keep anxiety at bay. Focus on the breath before an exam or a job interview, for example, it is effective to regulate the heartbeat and remove the negative or distressing thoughts typical of anxious people.
Then they exist several natural remedies useful for counteracting anxiety whether it occurs acutely or whether it is a generalized phenomenon. In fact, nature offers us numerous medicinal plants with a sedative and calming action, useful for relieving agitation, palpitations and other symptoms related to anxiety. When the manifestations related to anxiety manifest themselves in an acute way, for example, it is possible to resort to essential oils of lavender and lemon balm, to be spread in the environment or to be applied on the wrists (a drop is enough). If, on the other hand, you suffer from generalized or chronic anxiety, it is better to opt for relaxing herbal teas to be consumed regularly for a lasting effect on mood.
Herbal teas to fight it
Several medicinal plants have sedative activity and perform an excellent action against mild anxiety. Many of these plants can be consumed in herbal tea to relieve agitation, tremors, palpitations, and other symptoms related to anxiety. Let’s see five herbal teas to combat anxiety.
Hawthorn herbal tea
Indicated when anxiety is accompanied by palpitations and a generalized sense of agitation.
Valerian herbal tea
Indicated if anxiety causes sleep disorders such as difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal or premature awakenings in the morning.
Lemon balm herbal tea
- 30 grams of passionflower
- 20 grams of chamomile flower heads
- 20 grams of green anise fruits
- 10 grams of lemon balm leaves
- 10 grams of mint leaves
- 5 grams of ginger root
Indicated when anxiety causes gastrointestinal spasms, stomach pain and abdominal pain. In case of gastroesophageal reflux it is better to omit mint, which could increase the symptoms of this disorder.
Orange blossom herbal tea
- 40 grams of bitter orange flowers
- 20 grams of hypericum
- 20 grams of lemon balm leaves
- 20 grams of basil leaves
Indicated to counteract i mood disturbances related to anxious states.
Lavender herbal tea
Suitable foracute anxiety when symptoms occur for example before an exam or a job interview, to calm palpitations, agitation and excessive sweating.
How to prepare herbal teas
All the herbal teas listed above can be mixed by the herbalist in a herbalist’s shop. They are prepared with a spoonful of the mixture in 150-200 milliliters of boiling water, leaving the drug in infusion for about ten minutes with the lid on. At the end of the infusion it is filtered with a sieve. Herbal teas can be consumed hot, immediately after preparation, up to three times a day away from meals.
Read also
