Anxiety is rampant in our world today. As a society, we push ourselves to the extremes every day in work, life and love, that stress and anxiety disorders are becoming the new normal. In fact, in the United States, the most common mental illness, which affects 1 in 5 adults, is anxiety.1While mental illness is not new, the drugs that treat it are, so it is impossible to know all the harmful side effects. Natural remedies such as essential oils, on the other hand, have been used for centuries with virtually no side effects at all!
While mental illness is not new, the drugs that treat it are, so it is impossible to know all the harmful side effects. Natural remedies such as essential oils, on the other hand, have been used for centuries with virtually no side effects at all!
Essential Oils And A Life-Saving Tale
To help illustrate how impactful essential oils can be in treating anxiety, let me tell you a story about one of the first essential oil classes I ever taught. I remember it like it were yesterday. I was discussing the benefits of essential oils on anxiety disorders. Halfway through the class, while I was discussing a specific blend used to fight anxiety, a woman interrupted my lecture with a question – well, at least what I thought was a question.
With her hand held high in the air, I stopped and called upon her.
“What’s your question?” I asked. But much to my surprise, she didn’t have a question. She had a story she wanted to share. And I love it when people share their essential oil stories!
“That blend helped me get rid of my anxiety meds five years ago,” she said. “Essential oils saved my life!”
I don’t even remember the exact blend I was discussing and you know what? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that this precious soul found a solution that worked for her. Essential oils gave this woman her life back and five years later, she was still here, in my class, trying to learn as much as she could about essential oils. This could be your story!
The Dangers Of Anxiety Medicine
It is widely accepted by the medical community that medication helps alleviate the symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder. And with anxiety manifesting itself in numerous different shapes and sizes, the unique pharmaceutical treatments are seemingly endless. Some are designed to prevent anxiety, while others are designed to treat the specific symptoms.
However, they are all dangerous. Why? Because they carry significant side effects, many of which are unknown.
Here are three common forms of anxiety and the drugs typically prescribed to treat them.
- Performance or social anxiety – antihistamines (hydroxyzine) and beta-blockers (propranolol)
- Chronic Anxiety – antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft
- Acute Anxiety (panic attacks) – Benzodiazepines Ativan, Valium, Librium, Xanax, and Klonopin
Benzodiazepines, also known as depressants, are the most problematic. These drugs slow down brain activity to give the patient a sense of calm, but at an incredible cost.
Barbiturates and other hypnotics have been tied to a 35 percent increase in the likelihood of developing cancer. Additionally, patients being treated with hypnotics, also known as sleeping pills, are four times more likely to die than those not taking the drug. However, dosage is a key component. The study points out, “Even patients prescribed fewer than 18 hypnotic doses per year experienced increased mortality, with greater mortality associated with greater dosage prescribed.”2
Not to mention the fact that Benzodiazepines are highly addictive and are known to interfere with neurotransmitters. Another interesting note is that hypnotics are rarely the sole drug used when it comes to abuse. This is because these “sleeping pills” are usually mixed with other drugs such as pain killers, to boost the effects. The most popular painkillers used to increase the euphoria of hypnotics are Valium and Xanax.
How Essential Oils Can Help
Since essential oils are transdermal, meaning they penetrate the skin, they are able to work on the body’s physiology in significant ways. Because of this, essential oils can impact your body’s biochemistry when applied topically, taken internally, or inhaled through aromatherapy.
Research shows that one of the most effective ways for people suffering from anxiety to treat the disorder with essential oils is topical application. Studies show lavender can enter the bloodstream in as little as five minutes of massaging the oil into the skin.3When lavender essential oil is applied topically, its healing power is twice as effective because it’s absorbed through the skin and its aromas are inhaled simultaneously. The 1992 study also uncovered that maximum concentration levels were observed within 20 minutes. Don’t worry, the sedative properties don’t last forever. Within 90 minutes, most of the lavender was eliminated.
The Best Essential Oils For Anxiety
If you have ever done any research into the power of essential oils to battle anxiety, lavender has surely come up at some point. If you explore the research more thoroughly, you will find interesting nuggets tucked away that highlight the profound effects other essential oils have on anxiety. For instance, a 2013 article in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine looked at the effects aromatherapy had anxiety, sleep quality and other vital signs among patients in an intensive care unit.4
The researchers blended lavender, roman chamomile, and neroli with a 6:2:0.5 ratio and discovered that this aromatherapy strategy “significantly” lowered anxiety and improved sleep quality compared with conventional nursing intervention. Interestingly, blood pressure was also lower in the AT group. This should give hope to people with cardiovascular disease-related insomnia, as the connection between the two is well established in the research.5
Anxiety And Essential Oils Research
A systematic review of the literature suggests that the following oils are the most potent in managing anxiety.6
- Angelica archangelica rad. (angelica)
- Cistus ladaniferus (labdanum)
- Citrus aurantium var. amara fol. (petitgrain bigarade)
- Citrus aurantium var. amara per. (orange bigarade)
- Citrus bergamia (bergamot)
- Citrus sinensis (sweet orange)
- Cymbopogon martinii (palmarosa)
- Eucalyptus staigeriana (lemon-scented ironbark)
- Lavandula angustifolia (lavender)
- Litsea cubeba (may chang)
- Ocimum basilicum (basil)
- Origanum majorana (sweet marjoram)
- Pelargonium graveolens (geranium)
- Pogostemon patchouli (patchouli)
- Valeriana officinalis (valerian)
It’s important to note that this list should not be your automatic go-to oils for all anxiety disorders. In fact, several people report that some of these oils actually excite them.
Remember, many essential oils have a “harmonizing” effect, and will often help the body reach homeostasis (an internal “balance”). Sometimes, our body tells us we need to be excited, other times it tells us that we need to calm down. Additionally, everyone’s individual biochemistry reacts to chemicals (including phytochemicals like essential oils) in unique ways. What works for me as a 37-year-old Caucasian male won’t necessarily work for a 75-year-old woman from Kenya. Makes sense?
Find what works for you!
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