The Herb & Supplement Thread

[Fadeaway]

@Cj77 I have heard good things about it, but I haven't tried it... hmmm something to add to the list of things to research from this thread.

 

[rascal]

Can you share what forms/brands you take?

Sure thing!

Organic India Tulsi-Holy Basil 300mg 2x day / Organic India Tulsi-Holy Basil tea prn

Nature's Plus Zinc chelate 10 mg 2x day

The L-theanine and chamomile I drink in teas from the grocery store. Vitamin D3 is a CVS brand.

I also take a 10mg Zyrtec daily. If I could figure out a natural antihistamine that works, I'd switch to that!

 

[joeylittle]

Has anyone tried chromium picolinate-? It's supposed to keep blood sugar levels stable.

I tried it for weight loss. It interacted really badly with my system; not sure if it was just me, or what. Horrible headaches.

Cinnamon is supposed to do a decent job helping blood sugar regulation, and I've personally always felt a little better on that.

 

[Crow]

Chia seeds are great for blood sugar to. And you can soak them and they get gewy like tapioca.

 

[Maggie Smith]

Celestial Seasonings, do you know how the company got started? :)
Just like to add, l-theanine made me feel all sorts of weird, so I don't currently take it.
Going to try the Holy Basil and Rhodiola rosea eventually, but I need to come down slowly off the clonidine (because it lowers your blood pressure).
I thought i might add Bachs Rescue Remedy (I use the tabs without the alcohol, just dissolve in your mouth, really great), because I use it as one of my tools during the day. :) It's floral essences. :) And, I use potent liquid Valerian caps for one of my bedtime "meds". And magnesium capsule twice a day, which i think it working really great, just don't know what type of magnesium. Anyhow... :)

 

[Zanshin]

Thank you for this thread. I started L-Theanine daily to decrease anxiety a couple weeks ago, and it has... but I'm not sure it's worth it. I feel like it's reducing other emotions, too, and leaving me numb... as well as moving all anxiety to very specific nightmares each night. Has anyone else had this experience with it?

The version I'm taking is this: Suntheanine® L-Theanine 200mg (Double-Strength) in Cold-Pressed Organic Coconut Oil

Would it be better to take it just when anxiety is ramping up to ease it?

 

[PTSDfree]

Skullcap and Passionflower - The passionflower helped for a bit, but then I broke out in hives. Did not notice any difference when taking the skullcap by itself.
Kava and Valerian - Both have noticeably different effects, but I need a lot of them to notice any difference. It's probably just the alcohol in the tincture.
Lemon Balm - I grew this for a long time because it smelled nice. It definitely helps. One of my cats used to get really anxious and angry before going to the vet and I would put a bunch down in her carrier to help.
D3 - I am prone to being deficient in this and take 4000 IU everyday.
Holy Basil (Tulsi) - I can vouch for this too. I really like the taste.
Ashwagandha - I got heart palpitations and anxiety with this too.
Ginseng - I like the taste, but it gives me heart palpitations and diarrhea.
St. John's Wort - Very similar to SSRIs, but with nausea instead of sexual side effects. Did not like how it made me feel.
Maca - It's good with chocolate and seems to give me a little bit of energy.
Hibiscus - I got a free sample of this awhile back. It's good mixed with a little bit of spearmint and stevia for digestive/bloating issues.
Cod Liver Oil - I swear by this stuff. Really helps with anxiety.
CBD - The benefits build up over time. It helps regulate my emotions and day to day anxiety. I only go for the Mary's Medicinals brand. It's expensive, but it's worth it. Other brands make me paranoid and anxious.
GABA oolong - One of my favorite tea varieties. I notice a little bit of a difference with this. The tannins are good for my excess iron issues. Gives me energy without the anxiety.
Brain - It's not a supplement, but it's close enough. There's an ancient Chinese medicine saying that says you should eat the body part that you want to heal. It's not my favorite thing out there, but pork brain is very high in Omega 3's. I get it for free because the place that I work at buys whole pigs. They don't know what they're missing out on! :roflmao:

If you're deficient in B12, consider looking into whether or not you have an MTHFR mutation. I don't, but similar problems run in my family.

 

[rascal]

Thank you for this thread. I started L-Theanine daily to decrease anxiety a couple weeks ago, and it h...

I get my l-theanine from decaf green tea. It's a lower dose than the supplements so it's more tolerable. I had the same problem with the supplement form - too strong, almost intoxicating.

 

[Zanshin]

Thanks, @rascal. I just felt blank on it, like I couldn't turn my emotions up high enough. Does the green tea help?

 

[rascal]

@Zanshin I like it! It's not my first line against anxiety, but it definitely takes the edge off throughout the day. Plus, it just feels healthy to drink green tea, like I'm doing myself a favor.

 

[Zanshin]

@rascal Thanks, brewing a cup now! :)

 

[Powder]

I sip pure grapefruit juice or Bigelow Organic Green Tea all day at work. I start with the tea and move on to the grapefruit (iced heavily) as the day gets hotter.

This alone has allowed me to get down off Xanax without any anxiety. :) Hurray!

I'm using Melatonin at night to aid my sleep as I come down. I lost a couple nights' sleep due to the heart racing and not feeling sleepy.

I also got numb (day) and nightmares (night) on L-Theanine. But I was also taking Xanax. So maybe I'll put a small amount of the powder in my coffee or tea and see.

I also limit caffeine, trying to stick to just one drip coffee/day.