A friend of mine asked me if I knew about chineese herbs that can relive anxiety and depression. I don`t realy know anything about chineese herbal medicine but I do have an impression that it is very good for many things. Do you know how good their herbal treatments are for mental inlnesses? And do you know how safe they are? Do you also know anything about how they might work if one is already on a form of drug for the disease (he is on Zoloft)? I am also wondering if you think it is wise to order a well recognized herbal formula online without consulting a chineese herbalist in person. When I read about one such formula it talked about working through lifting stagnant chi of the chest but I can imagine anxiety and depression will often be caused by or connected with stagnant chi elsewhere instead. So unless one has a herbalist to check what kind of blockage it is it seems like one could very well get the wrong medicine. I say this because I am not sure we have any chinesse herbalists in Norway. We might, I am going to check, but I have never heard of it here.

http://www.drshen.com/herbsfordepression.htm

I found this when looking around. Does anyone know anything about this one in particular?

While we are on the topic, does anyone also know about herbs for memory and intelectual abilities. I would very much like to boost my memory. I also have two parents that are starting to get old and are starting to be a bit forgetfull. I am very vary of talking supplements beyond an ordinary healthy diet so it would ahve to be something considered very safe and established.

chamomile tea has been relaxing for me .

Lobelia is excellent for anxiety and tension as well as a good lung tonic. Indians smoke it, you can take it powdered in caps.

also Linden (AKA Tilo) tea is great for anxiety and stress, it unstiffens the blood vessels and couteracts the effects of tea and coffee.

excess salt in the diet contributes to high blood pressure and stress. to counteract it's effects you can take hot water with some turmeric (curcumin) powder, dried and powdered orange peel, and watermelon rind.

try having a hot shower then sploshing olive oil around the body then have another hot shower and towel away the excess olive oil, a good amount of it will have been absorbed by the skin and has many health benefits.

chinese: magnolia and ziziphus
ayurvedic: ashwaghandha, haritaki, tulasi, yashtimadhu
Western: lavander, skullcap, sage

hehe hard to translate these into norwegian, but made a few ; ) thanks!! :=)

I know that feeling, I usually google the english/chinese names to get the latin then google again using "site:.no" to search for a Norwegian hit. Could use "site:rolv.no" also as that is where that last search will usually lead you anyway..

I would try GABA and/ or theanine.

that formula is called Long Mu Shao Yao Ning Xin Tang. I don't think it's right for you. it is for yin vacuity, so unless your friend has that I wouldn't take it. people with yin vacuity are thin and have dark circles under their eyes, dry skin and mouth. their skin often looks wrinkly and taught. they can't sleep but are tired all the time. exercise makes them feel worse. it co-occurs with western conditions like hepatitis and fibromylagia. it's not unheard of, but it's not that common in western society.

you are probably better off having your friend try a more all-purpose formula. xiao yao san is safe for pretty much anyone anyone to take. it specifically targets qi stagnation by mobilizing the qi of the liver. it's safe to take with anti-depressants, and a chinese study came out a few years ago that showed people taking zoloft did better when they supplemented it with xiao yao san.

if your friend has symptoms of heat (excessive sweating, restlessness, red pallor to face, irritability, feelings of being hot or occasional fevers, occasional diarrhea or profuse urination), then you could have him/her try gui pi wan.

I suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia (blood and qi stagnation leading to heat from yang excess) and have gotten really good results from both those formulas.

Marijuana...lol...jk

anyone know what i could take for insomnia?

Would that be Hou po? or another?
http://www.yinyanghouse.com/theory/herbalm...herbal_database

tried melatonin?

Moderate amounts of fish oil and vitamin D3 are very good for brain chemistry and depression. I recommend softgel caps or liquid for these.

As far as anxiety goes, broad spectrum mineral supplements like Terramin and Pascalite are very good. You can also get a liquid calcium and magnesium supplement. I use both of those clays I mentioned.

Yes it would be. If there is concern about magnolia only, then other plants can be used to move the chi through the channels synergistically, hint haritaki.

Sage

There's quite a number of supplements available that can help depending on what the underlying issues are. As I've already mentioned, I would never suggest taking anything without good strong research first.

In additon, if you are taking any other medications, I would definitely check for safety in combining things. And, just because it's a 'supplement' or 'herbal', doesn't mean it isn't as active or potent as some manufactured medications. It's ALL chemicals;-)

That being said, GABA certainly has had a positive effect on me so far. It was like turning off the light switch when it came to anxiety. I started having serious anxiety issues when I quit smoking over a year ago (we could also suggest that I was self-medicating for dopamine insufficiency when I was smoking and that quitting just brought everything to the surface ;-)).

I would also suggest taking anxiety to task as fast as you can to nip it in the bud. It's something that can form a bad feedback loop and escalate. Exposure to anxiety-producing situations is extremely helpful. Sitting with the feelings also. I saw some nice advice from others on the Kunlun for social anxiety thread. Some good techniques available from Buddhist practices. The grounding exercises are also especially good.

Wishing you all the best!

Kate

The most effectivy, instantly active, herb for anxiety i have ever taken is kava kava. As far as beeing safe and established, i should mention that it has been banned for sale in Europe for supposedly causing liver damage in some. Personally I think it's safe. Before it got banned it used to be prescribed by doctors for mild to medium anxiety and depression. As with many herbal products it is really important to only get top quality products. I have tried many and most had no or very little effect. If you get the good stuff you will find that it has a very calming yet clearing property. It does not make you numb, yet calms the mind chatter. Perfect for anxiety before exams. When i used to take it a few years ago i noticed however to not take it regularly for more than a week, but instead to take a break for at least a week. Unfortunatly i cannot recommend any specific brand, as i used to buy it at a German pharmacy and there are no kava kava products beeing sold in Germany anymore. I think however it helps if the product is not in dried form. Of all brands that i tried only one was actually effective and it was the only one that used the whole root, a moist paste in it's capsules.