Here’s what I’d like to say. Any of the below supplements that can reduce anxiety I mention are merely ideas–I’m not a medical practitioner, I don’t play one nor do I claim to be one. If anything resonates with you after reading this post, what I would suggest is to do your own research, learn about possible personal-to-you contraindications, and speak to your licensed medical practitioner if you are curious about how to continue to support yourself in this manner, if it is appropriate for you! I want everyone to feel better as needed and at the end of the day–that task is on you, which can feel scary and overwhelming but is actually one of the MOST liberating concepts in the world. I know.
Read Part I of the Anxiety and Food series here.
Read Part III of the Anxiety and Food series here.
Let’s get to it!
Seven Supplements That Can Reduce Anxiety
1. Curcumin and Turmeric
As mentioned in the first post of this Anxiety and Food series, foods that provoke increased levels of inflammation in our bodies are a biggie to focus on learning about when it comes to supporting mental wellness. An inflamed body also can include an inflamed brain, a theory that hasn’t been super supported until more recently.
While taking out the foods that are difficult on digestion, at least in the short-term to figure out just which ones those actually are, can be a big step, another idea to incorporate as an adjunct is increasing anti-inflammatories. Welcome, turmeric. And really, welcome curcumin, which is the active component within turmeric that acts as an anti-inflammatory when we ingest it.
Curcumin and turmeric supplements are trending these days, so they’re pretty easy to find. Note that if you choose to increase your culinary use of fresh or dried turmeric in the kitchen in place of the standardized curcumin within a capsule, add a grind of black pepper to the dish or drink you’re creating in order to activate the curcumin itself.
2. Probiotics
The use of encapsulated probiotics is nothing new, however again until more recently the discussions on anxiety often would not address the gut environment and how it can very directly affect the functioning of our brains. While specifics strains still need additional research, looking for a probiotic that offers at least 5 or more of the following strains can be a good starting point:
- L. Acidophilus
- L. Rhamnosus
- L. Salivarius
- L. Casei
- L. Plantarum
- L. Lactis
- B. Breve
- B. Infantis
- B. Longum
- B. Bifidum
- B. Lactis
By adding in the gut bacteria we may be missing, the influx of bacteria can help soothe our gut environments, and again, affecting levels of chronic inflammation. I like to visualize our large intestines as a jungle–we can take a machete to an overgrowth of the less than desirable gut bacteria and yeasts via strong herbal blends (see #5 below), but if we then don’t take care to make sure there are enough of the good guys who are able to grow in the cleared area, we’re really only taking care of half of the equation.
Fermented vegetables like traditional sauerkraut, kimchi, curtido and other lacto-fermented options are great to include on the regular, too. However, there is a time and a place for “wild” ferments, and for trying to quell anxiousness more immediately, I like to bring a capsulated probiotic in first, then transition to also including fermented foods as a lifestyle piece.
I am increasingly wary of suggesting people drink kombucha, as it’s a sugar ferment (versus a salt ferment) and can also contain high levels of yeast, which many people do not tolerate well, let alone on the daily. Some people do just fine with kombucha, so don’t freak out yet, brewers and imbibers! But keep it in the back of your mind.
3. CBD oil
Mmm, another trend! And rightly so. Products, oils, supplements, etc. that are made with extracted cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp plants are not psychotropic and do not make you high, and can be purchased over the counter at many stores and even restaurants these days (I’m still amazed by this!). CBD is not Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and THC is what makes people high–just so we’re clear.
One way in which CBD works in by its effect on learned fear pathways, meaning that situational fears or anxiety could potentially be lessened over the long-term by coupling CBD with those fear-inducing situations. This may be why for me, taking CBD oil on a plane is super useful–I can actively retrain my body to like, chill out, while it was likely getting used to fretting more and more on planes (backstory: I have never had anxiety relating to plane travel until the last few years, and while I now realize it’s likely due to my body feeling not-so grounded in space because of vestibular dysfunction, coupling the CBD along with eye exercises has offered major improvements within a very short period of time)
It should probably go without saying by now that more research is needed–as usual! But where it seems research is needed is for investing how smaller doses of CBD over the long term work in terms of symptom treatment or even abatement in our systems, versus large and acute short term dosing.
4. Magnesium
Oh, our darling, darling magnesium. Since magnesium doesn’t have too many contraindications, (but do your research) I find it’s a useful addition to many people’s medicine cabinets (or kitchen counters…). Magnesium deficiency is widespread in our modern era, likely due at least in part to poor mineral quality in conventional produce. If the dirt a vegetable or fruit is grown from doesn’t have many minerals, that produce won’t, either. Pair that with our North American style of not eating much fresh produce, period, plus couple that all with our blood sugar levels rocketing up and dropping low throughout the day, day in, day out (a body process that recruits lots of magnesium from our systems in order to keep re-regulating our blood sugar again and again), and we have a recipe for chronically not obtaining enough magnesium.
Magnesium assists in the proper functioning of our nervous system. I like people to think about how minerals tend to come in pairs. Magnesium and calcium are a pair. At a very basic level, calcium helps our muscles contract, and magnesium helps our muscles relax. If we’re getting plenty of calcium in our standard North American diets, yet we’re not getting enough magnesium, then we’re often just really good at staying tight and not being able to relax, and I’m going to go as far as to say that that’s happening on both a physiological and psychology level. Sound familiar?
Some other indications of a magnesium deficiency include:
- Getting muscle cramping and twitching (like Charley horses or menstrual cramps)
- Feeling wound up at bedtime
- Having restless legs at bedtime
- High blood pressure
Since magnesium is water soluble, we excrete the magnesium our bodies don’t need via our pee and poop. That means if we take too much, or over time we increase our magnesium stores within our bodies and we don’t need to be taking as much as we once were, we can experience loose stools. I typically tend to recommend magnesium glycinate (versus magnesium citrate or oxide), as it can lessen the gastrointestinal effects some people experience.
Epsom salt baths are another source of magnesium, as we can absorb it through our skin. Get on with your bad self and take that hot bath with a few cups of epsom salts and call yourself calm!
5. Candida/Parasite Herbal Blends
While I still wonder if claiming to have a candida overgrowth is really what happens with many people, except for immunocompromised people who have systemic fungal and yeast growth due to their immune system not being able to fight the yeast, I do find that blends of bitter and powerful herbs can offer wonderful support in setting a good baseline environment for proper bacteria and yeasts to thrive and grow from there.
While it can definitely seem like it will fall into the more alternative idea space when considering the connection between candida and our mental wellness regulation with anxiety, I think they’re pretty connected as soon as we consider that anything that is throwing off the integrity of our gut environment can contribute to inflammation, which as we’ve previously discussed, can be systemically stressful and overwhelming, creating signs of or feedback loops for anxiety to occur.
Additionally, the fatigue, brain fog, difficulty in recall and follow through, and general lackluster feelings that come with yeast and bacterial overgrowths (and parasite, and I recommend if you are worried you have a parasite, go get testing done by a licensed practitioner) can contribute to general anxiety in just feeling like we can’t quite get a grip on our days, period.
There are so many types of herbs that qualify as anti-candida and parasite, and I recommend working with a practitioner who will know to rotate which herbs to use and couples this protocol with probiotics and a good gut growth protocol, too. I see too many people stuck in a restricting and “killing off” phase, and man, staying stuck in that sure sounds anxiety producing in and of itself, doesn’t it?
Here are a few types of herbs you may seen used singularly or in combinations:
- Black walnut hull
- Oregano oil
- Clove
- Wormwood
- Ginger
- Pau D’arco
- Caprylic Acid
- Olive Leaf
- Garlic
6. B Vitamin Complex
Taking a quality complex of the different B vitamins can go a long way in supporting not only energy regulation within our bodies throughout the day, but also in supporting functioning of our nervous systems, which to me is a key part in managing anxiety. B vitamins can be supporting figures for a multitude of systems within the body that affect anxiousness, such as helping to keep blood sugar levels balanced, synthesizing serotonin, supporting our adrenal gland function and more.
Choosing a methylated complex of B vitamins can be useful in making sure that our bodies can use the active forms of different B vitamins, and I often suggest people explore this option. However, please work with a licensed medical practitioner to assess whether a methylated or non-methylated complex is best suited for your unique body and its needs. The subject of methylation is a large one!
7. Amino Acids
Another large subject, aminos acids are the building blocks of proteins. We have essential and non-essential amino acids, meaning that there are some our bodies can produce (non-essential) and others that we must obtain through our food and nutrition (essential). Researching singual amino acids and their ability to support our nervous system and brains can be a missing piece of the puzzle for many.
In general, I like to categorize singular amino acid supplements as mostly either relaxing, or stimulating. While there can be a time and a place for people to supplement with amino acids from either side, often with anxiousness some of the more calming amino acids may feel like a nice inclusion into the discussion.
- GABA
- Tryptophan
- 5-HTP
- Taurine
A wonderful book on the subject of targeted amino acid support is The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. One thing I find awesome about working with amino acids that is that typically, if the amino acid is really working for someone, they’re super drawn to keep taking that supplement (I mean, remember to take a supplement is half the battle sometimes, right?), and when their body stores are full and they no longer need to take that amino acid, typically… they end up forgetting to take it. I love that kind of supplementation protocol, personally.
8. Vitamin D
Especially for peeps that live in climates that get a real good dose of winter *cough hi Minnesotans* I find that opting to add vitamin D onto basic yearly wellness panels / blood tests can be a very useful addition in order to see where serum vitamin D levels actually fall every year. While there are many studies assessing the association between low vitamin D levels and depressive-related symptoms, there are way fewer about the correlation between low vitamin D and anxiousness. For me, I find that depression and anxiety often have more connections together than we like to think, so still considering vitamin D levels goes a long way towards helping a body regulate itself in my opinion.
While I don’t believe that supplementing with vitamin D is the panacea it can sometimes be made out to be, having this tool in the supplement toolkit and simply raising awareness about a common vitamin deficiency is a big deal! We can synthesize vitamin D in our bodies from sun exposure, and where many of us run into trouble is that fact that we’re either inside for most of the season through the winter, or when we are outside in the winter, our whole bodies are covered up and that bright winter sun still can’t quite reach enough of our skin to make an impact!
As a final thought, I typically like for people to investigate liquid vitamin D3, and often to pair that vitamin D3 with taking vitamin K2. They work in tandem together within our bodies.
So, now it’s your turn! What do you think? Have you used supplementation in order to support the reduction of anxious feelings? What have you noticed? Let me know in the comments below!
Comments