Five Natural “Xanax” for Self-Regulation

When you’ve felt wired or down, good chance you’ve taken psychotropic drugs, like anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication, to help balance emotions and arousability.

For some, taking these drugs might have helped. Others might have experienced ill effects … and for good reason. Though tranquilizers like Xanax can calm you when you’re restless, and anti-depressants like Prozac can uplift you moving when you feel down, all drugs, whether illicit, prescribed, or over-the counter can cause side effects that upset brain chemistry and destabilize your nervous system.

Unlike Xanax and Zoloft, nature’s “Farmacy,” works with, not against your body’s design to modify brain chemistry, and without side effects. Further, when taken in the right combination, many natural supplements achieve similar results as when taking psychotropic drugs.

Let’s explore some five natural Farmacy options to calm you when you need to wind down.

Herbs

Kava. Enhances GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) activity, a neurotransmitter considered a natural anti-anxiety drug and low in many high-strung people, relaxing both muscles and emotions, and calming without sedating, as prescription tranquilizers often do.

Ginkgo biloba. Improves brain function by increasing cerebral blood flow and oxygenation, helping ease depression, anxiety, headaches, memory loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), vertigo, headache, and poor concentration.

Amino Acids

GABA (gamma amino butyric acid): Regulates the neurotransmitters noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin.

Taurine: Inhibits the release of adrenaline and provides similar calming as GABA.

Tryptophan: A source for both 5-HTP and serotonin that, taken in supplement form has been shown to raise serotonin levels by 200%.

TAKE HEED: People respond differently to amino acids. Try them ideally under a physician or naturopathic care.