Best Natural Supplements for Anxiety

If anxiety is weighing you down or winding up, you aren't alone. Approximately 1 in 3 adults and teens in the US will experience an anxiety disorder.

Many supplements have potential of relieving anxiety and boosting your ability to deal with stress, but it can be challenging to sort through the many options. This article answers the question: What are the best natural supplements for anxiety?

What's in this Post

Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other medical professional. I'm passing on info about supplements that research indicates may be helpful to reduce anxiety. I'm not making any promises about how any of the supplements might work for you as an individual. 

Anxiety is both emotional and physical

You feel the emotion of anxiety and you feel the physical sensation of being anxious. Your body and mind are connected, and each affects the other: your biochemistry can alter your mood and your mood can alter your biochemistry.

As a therapist, I’ve helped many people overcome anxiety with psychological interventions such as emotion skill-building, getting at the root causes of the individual’s anxiety, relaxation skills training, hypnosis, and other therapeutic approaches. I believe these are important avenues for managing stress. 

I have also seen physical interventions help reduce anxiety and increase stress resilience.

In thinking about whether you should address your anxiety physically or psychologically, it’s not necessarily an either/or thing. I think it’s a both/and thing; addressing anxiety from a psychological perspective and a physical perspective is a great combination that reaps many benefits and boosts both the speed and level of improvement.

Can Supplements Help With My Anxiety?

Supplements for anxiety address the underlying physical causes of anxiety. They can support anti-anxiety pharmaceutical medications or be used on their own. 

Unlike prescription meds for anxiety, anxiety supplements tend to be free of side effects. In addition, many also help with depression, and hold other benefits for your body and mind.

Even so, you should consult with your own personal medical professionals to check that supplements (especially herbs) don't have negative interactions with medications that you take or are counter-indicated for your particular physical conditions. Pregnant and nursing mothers should be cautious about taking natural remedies--especially herbal supplements. 

While anxiety natural remedies don't get the same research attention as anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications, there has been quite a lot of research into how effective various supplements are at reducing anxiety. I dove into the research for my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience. I won't expound on the research in this article, but if you're interested in the anxiety help hows and whys of particular supplements the book provides lots more information. In this post, I'm just focusing on a top supplements for anxiety list. 

Best supplements for anxiety infographic

(I may receive a small commission for sales made through the links on this post but they do not effect your cost. They are placed for your convenience.)

Ranking the best supplements for anxiety 

1. Magnesium

Magnesium is the first supplement that I think of when working with anxiety clients. Most people are low on it. It's necessary for hundreds of chemical reactions in your body. It's required for dealing with stress and you burn through it when you're dealing with stress. 

I talk more about the science-based benefits of magnesium and related research in another post: Best Forms of Magnesium Supplements for Anxiety, Depression, and More. 

There are many ways to supplement magnesium: pills, powders, gummies, and applications that are absorbed through the skin. 

Here I'll just list my favorites. They don't include any of the pill or capsule forms of magnesium supplements. I have tried at least 6 different ones myself and all of them make me feel rather nauseous--so I don't recommend them. If you want more info about pill forms, check my magnesium supplements post. 

For oral supplementation: My #1 choice for ease of use and effectiveness is Natural Vitality CALM Gummies. 

Natural Vitality CALM powder is another option: you mix with water for an OK tasting drink. 

Note that magnesium is a muscle relaxant. That's great for relaxing your body and reducing muscular aches and pains, but it can cause your intestinal tract to relax and result in softened stools to the point of diarrhea--so start with a low dose to check how you react to it and work your way toward the full dose figuring out your personal level.

(Note: The CALM gummies are less likely than the powder drink to cause diarrhea since the gummies dissolve in your mouth for the most part--and therefore go right into your bloodstream rather than into your intestine.)

For trans-dermal (through the skin) supplementation:

• Magnesium chloride flakes can be used in a bath or footbath (one cup per foot bath) 
• Magnesium oil can be sprayed on your skin (about 8 sprays per day on your abdomen, chest, or any other parts of your body.)

Both of these are Ancient Minerals brand which I appreciate for their purity.

Some people get itchy when they use the magnesium oil. If that happens, try diluting it half and half with water. Build your way toward higher concentrations. Or focus on the other ways of getting magnesium. 

Using magnesium at night is helpful for anxiety and for sleep. 

For Baths or Footbaths

2. Vitamin D3

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. It is vitally important for mental health. 

It's important to get enough vitamin D. It's also important to not get too much. It is fat soluble. That means that if you take excess in supplement form your body will store it in your fat cells and you'll have too much swimming around your body. (Conversely, water soluble vitamins like C and B will just be eliminated by your body through urine if taken in excess.)

I talk more about all aspects of vitamin D supplementation in this post: Vitamin D3 Benefits for Depression, Anxiety, and More.

There are 2 forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3. D3 is the form that you are looking for in helpful supplements. 

Dr. Leslie Korn recommends the following supplementation dosage for adult men and women in her book Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health: A Complete Guide to the Food-Mood Connection: 

• 2000–4000 IU/day

I see that most vitamin D supplements come in 5000 IU doses.

If you have vitamin D deficiency, a doctor will likely prescribe higher doses, but be very careful about taking large amounts on your own because of the possibility of overdosing that I mentioned above.

Nordic Naturals is a high-quality supplement brand. They have vitamin D supplements in both 1000 IU/serving and 5000 IU/serving. 

3. Multivitamin for B-complex and Vitamin C

Several B vitamins help to reduce anxiety and increase stress resilience. Vitamin C also helps relieve anxiety and stress. 

You can take both of these as separate supplements, but taking a high-quality natural multivitamin is a way to get it all in one pill. 

I get into explaining why you want these in natural form in Feed Your Calm. Here I'll just give you a bottom-line example of a supplement that is a good candidate for boosting these vitamins in a form that your body can utilize them. 

Garden of Life MyKind Organics is a brand that creates vegan supplements from organic whole foods. They have a line of multivitamins specific to different age groups and genders.

MyKind Organic Women Whole Food Vitamin Supplement

MyKind Organic Men's Whole Food Vitamin Supplement

Garden of Life MyKind Organics Vitamins for Women 40 Plus

Garden of Life MyKind Organics Vitamins for Men 40 Plus

Garden of Life MyKind Organic Women 55+ Multivitamin

Garden of Life MyKind Organic Men 55+ Multivitamin

4. Omega-3 Fats, EPA and DHA

Two of the major elements your brain needs to function well are the Omega-3 fats DHA and EPA. 

I explain about different types of fats and how they help and hurt your ability to deal with stress in in this Omega-3 blog post and in Feed Your Calm.

Supplementation dosage recommendations (mg/day) for men and women

• American Psychiatric Association (20): 1000 EPA+DHA

• PDR for Nutritional Supplements (21): 3000 EPA+DHA

The most common source of these Omega-3s is fish oil. Nordic Naturals fish oil is the brand and form that I personally use and recommend to my clients. It is made from deep sea anchovies and sardines, and includes rosemary extract as a preservative.

Nordic Naturals also makes an algae-based omega-3 supplement. It doesn't contain as much EPA and DHA in 2 capsules as their fish oils but it is a vegan option.  

5. Ashwaghanda

Ashwaghanda is an adaptogen herb. There are many adaptogenic herbs from different parts of the world. (Since Ashwaghando is a herb, this is one of those supplements to take special caution with if you are on pharmaceutical medications or are pregnant or nursing.)

Adaptogens help you feel less anxious by moderating how your body deals with stress. They adapt and they help you adapt. They can serve as a general tonic that helps you feel better overall.

Ashwaghanda is a favorite adaptogen for anxiety and stress relief so it's the one that I'll mention here, but I explain how adaptogens work and list more adaptogens that are known to help reduce anxiety in this post: What Are Adaptogens? How Do Adaptogens Help With Stress and Anxiety?

Here are some adaptogen supplement capsule examples. Follow dosage recommendations made by the manufacturer.

6. Probiotics

What's going on in your gut impacts your mood. Research has amassed so much positive research about the mental health benefits of particular probiotics that they call them psychobiotics. 

I go into which bacteria are important for reducing anxiety and increasing stress resilience and how they help in Feed Your Calm, but here I'll just tell you about my favorite sources of the desired bacteria. 

I am currently researching probiotic brands since the one I used to recommend is no longer available. 

7.  L-Theanine

L-theanine is very relaxing. It's particularly good for dealing with panic attacks and also to help with anxiety-related sleep issues like insomnia. (For more about how L-theanine helps anxiety, side-effects etc check out this post: The Mental Health Benefits of L-Theanine for Anxiety, Depression, and More.)

Theanine is an amino acid but it isn't found in protein sources like many other amino acids. It's a non-protein amino acid most commonly found in tea (especially green tea).

Some amino acids occur in two forms that are mirror images of each other: L and D. Only the L-forms can be used by your body’s cells. L-theanine is readily available as a supplement in powder, capsule, softgel, chewable, gummy, or liquid form. 

Chewable L-theanine is great to have on hand for those times you get a spike in anxiety or a panic attack. You can also take them routinely throughout the day or for sleep. The pill form may be helpful for daily use and sleep but won't give you the fast action of the chewables.

In Prescription for Natural Cures, doctors Mark Stengler, James Balch, and Robin Young Balch recommend:

• 200 to 250 mg of L-theanine twice a day for anxiety 
• 200 to 500 mg in one dose a half hour before bed for insomnia

In The Psychiatric Times journal (Nov 2007), Dr. James Lake makes the following suggestions [Note: L-theanine taken in chewable forms may act faster than the capsule forms he is referring to]: 

"A calming effect is usually noted within 30 to 40 minutes after L-theanine is taken at doses of 50 to 200 mg, and typically lasts 8 to 10 hours. Moderate anxiety symptoms often improve in patients taking 200 mg once or twice daily. More severe anxiety symptoms may require dosages of 600 to 800 mg/d, taken in divided doses of 100 to 200 mg."

Cautionary Note: Theanine reduces blood pressure so it should be avoided for people with low blood pressure. People on blood pressure medication should check with their medical provider.

Here are several anti-anxiety L-theanine supplement options including chewable forms:

	NOW Supplements, L-Theanine 100 mg with Inositol and Taurine This chewable has L-theanine plus a couple of additional supplements (inositol and taurine) that have anti-anxiety properties. One of my clients swears by this brand for panic attacks. Some Amazon reviews mention people not liking the taste of these.
	EZ Melts 200mg melt-in-your-mouth tablets This has double the dose of the NOW chewables but doesn't have the additional anti-anxiety inositol or taurine. It also doesn't seem to have the objectionable taste that some people mention for the NOW product.
	Sports Reseach Suntheanine 200mg capsules

8. Nervine herbs

Nervine herbs are herbs that have a relaxing calming effect. Be careful about using these herbs while driving. It would be best to test your reaction to them late in the day in case they cause drowsiness. They are most often used to help with sleep (a common problem for people with anxiety).

Nervine herbs are available in capsule form, liquid extracts, and teas. 

I talk lots more about nervine herbs in Feed Your Calm, but here I'll just mention one supplement in this category. (Since this group are herbs, take special caution if you are on pharmaceutical medications or are pregnant or nursing.)

Garden of Life Mykind Organics has an interesting product called Sleep Well that includes several nervine herbs and L-theanine. 

Anxiety Help Books and Recordings

I know how overwhelming anxiety can feel because I have dealt with anxiety myself. I learned how to quiet my anxiety and as a counselor, I've helped hundreds of people overcome theirs. Along the way, I've incorporated what I've learned about what helps reduce anxiety and increase the ability to deal with stress into books, workbooks, and recordings.

Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience

A quick look at Anxiety: Simple Powerful Anti-Anxiety Tips for Stress, Anxiety, and Panic Attack Relief

Becoming Calm: Silver Lining Anxiety and Stress Resilience Workbook and Journal

Discover Calm Anti-Anxiety Hypnosis mp3 downloadable recording

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