By Patrick Holford
But what if you could reduce your anxiety and boost your mood this winter?
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Anxiety affects many people to varying degrees.
It’s common, when faced with intense or constant feelings of anxiety, to ‘self-medicate’ with alcohol or cannabis.
It’s socially acceptable to ‘need a drink’ after a bad day, or if we are feeling down. And, if that anxiety is more extreme, we turn to our GP for something stronger, such as prescription tranquillisers, or mood stabilisers. In one week in the UK, we pop something like 10 million tranquillisers, puff 10 million cannabis joints and drink 120 million alcoholic drinks.
The choice of these three drugs – alcohol, cannabis and tranquillisers – is no coincidence.
They all promote GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is the brain’s peacemaker, helping to turn off excess adrenaline and calm us down. That’s why that beer or glass of wine makes us feel sociable, relaxed, happy and less serious, at least for an hour as GABA levels rise. But after an hour or so, GABA starts to fall, leaving us irritable and disconnected, and craving another – and another.
The problem is that after a session of drinking, GABA levels become very suppressed and those negative feelings stay around. Most of us avoid this by drinking in the evening and going to sleep under the influence but alcohol also disturbs the normal cycle of dreaming, and it’s dreaming that regenerates the mind. So, when you wake up in the morning, you’re mentally tired, grumpy and irritable because of the low level of GABA, as well as dehydrated and sluggish as your body detoxifies the alcohol from the night before.
The net effect is that alcohol, in the long run, makes you more anxious, not less.
The same is true for cannabis, which, if habitually smoked, also reduces drive and motivation.
So what are some other options? Here are some alternative ideas.
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GABA is not only a neurotransmitter, it’s also an amino acid. This means it’s a nutrient and, by supplementing it, you can help to promote normal healthy levels of GABA in the brain.
There is one problem. In the EU, GABA has been classified as a medicine, meaning it is no longer available over the counter in the UK. However, GABA supplements are available online from countries such as the US. GABA is made from taurine and glutamine and some ‘chill’ supplements contain these GABA promoters.
If you can get hold of GABA, supplement 250mg to 500mg, once or twice a day as a highly effective natural relaxant. But note that while it is not addictive, that doesn’t mean there are no side-effects in large amounts. Up to 2g a day has no reported downside; however, if you go up to 10g a day, this can certainly induce nausea or even vomiting, and a rise in blood pressure. So use GABA wisely, especially if you already have high blood pressure, starting with no more than 1g a day, and do not exceed 3g a day. If you take it in the evening it also helps you get to sleep.
Taurine is another relaxing amino acid, similar in structure and effect to GABA. Many people think taurine is a stimulant because it is used in so-called ‘energy drinks’, but it is not. It helps you relax and unwind from high levels of adrenalin, much like GABA. It’s also often recommended as an anti-ageing supplement as supplementation slows key markers of ageing (2).
Taurine is highly concentrated in animal foods such as fish, eggs and meat. Vegetarians are therefore more likely to be at risk of deficiency. Try 500 to 1,000mg of taurine, twice daily. There are no known cautions or adverse effects at reasonable doses.
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B vitamins also help support your mood.
Vitamin B6 supplementation increases GABA and supplementation of 100mg reduced self‐reported anxiety in a recent study (3). Another study found that higher vitamin B6 intake is associated with lower depression and anxiety risk in women but not in men (4).
The combination of B6 and magnesium has proven particularly effective in reducing pre-menstrual anxiety. A higher intake of B vitamins is associated with lower levels of both anxiety and depression (5). A review of all the evidence on nutrients concluded: “Magnesium and vitamin B6 may be effective in combination in reducing pre-menstrual stress, and vitamin B6 alone may reduce anxiety effectively in older women. High-dose sustained-release vitamin C may reduce anxiety and mitigate increased blood pressure in response to stress (6).
Vitamin C, which is made in all animals bar a few, including primates, acts like a stress hormone. It is stored in the adrenal cortex, along with cortisol, and released into the blood raising blood levels several fold under conditions of stress. It actually helps cortisol to work such that animals who make vitamin C don’t have to produce so much vitamin C. It is logical that our evolutionary loss of the ability to make vitamin C has made us more prone to stress and anxiety. A number of studies show that increasing vitamin C reduces anxiety. A 14 day trial of 500mg of vitamin C versus placebo, given to high school students found exactly this (7). Another, giving 500mg twice a day, improved ‘mental vitality’ and attention and reduced fatigue (8).
Vitamin C’s energy-increasing effects have been known since the 1970s, when Dr Emanuel Cheraskin at the University of Alabama showed much lower levels of fatigue in those with an intake of vitamin C above 400mg a day (9). I recommend 1,000mg taken twice a day, especially when you are under stress or feeling anxious.
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Valerian is an excellent anti-anxiety herb (Valeriana officinalis). As a natural relaxant, it is useful for several disorders such as restlessness, nervousness, insomnia and hysteria, and it has also been used as a sedative for ‘nervous’ stomach. Valerian acts on the brain’s GABA receptors, enhancing their activity and thus offering a similar tranquillising action as the valium-type drugs but without the same side-effects. As a relaxant you need 50 to 100mg twice a day, and twice this amount 45 minutes before retiring for a good night’s sleep.
Since valerian potentiates sedative drugs, including muscle relaxants and antihistamines, don’t take it if you are on prescribed medication without your doctor’s consent. Valerian can also interact with alcohol, as well as certain psychotropic drugs and narcotics.
Hops (Humulus lupulus) is an ancient remedy for a good night’s sleep and probably included in beer for that reason. Hops helps to calm nerves by acting directly on the central nervous system, rather than affecting GABA receptors. You need about 200mg per day, but the effect is much less than kava or valerian and most effective when taken in combination with these and other herbs such as passion flower.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) was a favourite of the Aztecs, who used it to make relaxing drinks. It has a mild sedative effect and promotes sleep much like hops, with no known side-effects at normal doses. Passionflower can also be helpful for hyperactive kids. You need around 100 to 200mg a day. Combinations of these herbs are particularly effective for relieving anxiety and can really help break the pattern of reacting stressfully to life’s challenges.
These final two, hops and passionflower, are a better choice, if you want to avoid excessive drowisness.
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Magnesium is another important nutrient that helps relax both muscles and mind. It is often included in sleep formulas for this reason. The worst diet for magnesium is one that is high in meat, milk, refined foods and sugar. Not only is such a diet deficient in magnesium, but it’s also high in calcium. The body needs the right balance of these two ‘push-me-pull-you’ minerals, which control both brain, nerve and muscle function. Too much calcium in relation to magnesium can cause muscle cramping, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and depression. Stress, coffee and alcohol also deplete magnesium. Magnesium is also a potent antioxidant and helps stabilise your blood sugar. It works together with zinc and B vitamins, especially B6, in many key enzymes in the body.
A study giving stressed, but otherwise healthy, adults either just magnesium or a combination of vitamin B6 (30mg) and magnesium (300mg), reported significant improvement in both anxiety and depression, with the combination being more effective. The study was 8 weeks long but most improvement had occurred within four weeks. Another, giving 248mg of magnesium, reported improvement in depression after six weeks (11).
Most people eat about 270mg but need closer to 500mg. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, nuts and seeds can get your intake up to 500mg. Much like omega-3, our ancestors will have been eating twice as much as we do today. A small handful, or heaped tablespoon of chia or pumpkin seeds (28g or 1 ounce) will give you in excess of 100mg. A similar amount of almonds, peanuts or cashews will give you 80mg. A serving of oats, brown rice, potato or beans, black beans being the best, delivers about 50mg. The best vegetables are greens, especially spinach, kale, chard, green beans and peas in that order. A decent serving – think half a plate – can easily deliver 100mg. Another great food for magnesium is wheatgerm.
Nutritional therapists know to supplement around 300mg of magnesium to anyone who needs more, for example, for sleep, anxiety, depression, muscle cramps or heart disease with the antioxidant capacity being an added bonus.. Very few multis contain more than 50mg, the best providing up to 150mg.
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In studies when caffeine levels are matched, the effects of tea and coffee on mood are very different (12). This may be because tea also contains the natural amino acid l-theanine – a relaxant. Research suggests that 50mg L-theanine naturally stimulates activity in the brain, known as alpha waves, which are associated with a relaxed but alert mental state (13). Supplements containing L-theanine and the amino acid GABA can help to make you feel more relaxed and less ‘edgy’ (14). A trial of 400mg of theanine has been shown to help boys with ADHD get to sleep (15).
Supplements providing combinations of GABA (or its precursors), theanine, magnesium and relaxing herbs, are most effective.
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Some people experience panic attacks, characterised by extreme feelings of fear. These are not at all uncommon. Symptoms often experienced during a panic attack include palpitations, rapid breathing, dizziness, unsteadiness and a feeling of impending death. Those who suffer with agoraphobia (a fear of being alone or in public places) often know that they can go out or can be alone but are afraid of having a panic attack (16).
As ‘psychological’ as this sounds, there is a biochemical imbalance behind many people’s anxiety attacks, apart from, or as well as, any psychological factors. It’s too much lactic acid. When muscles don’t get enough oxygen, they make energy from glucose without it. The trouble is, there’s a by-product called lactic acid. As strange as this might seem, giving lactic acid to those prone to anxiety attacks can induce an anxiety attack.
One way to increase lactic acid levels is to hyperventilate. Many people will do this when they’re experiencing anxiety attacks. Hyperventilation changes the acid level of the blood by altering the balance of carbon dioxide. The body responds by producing more lactic acid. The solution is to breathe into a paper bag during a hyperventilation attack and concentrate on breathing deeply for a minute. This helps redress the balance. Moments of blood sugar dips can also both bring on hyperventilation and increase lactic acid. So, keep your blood sugar level even by eating little and often.
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While the causes for high levels of anxiety are often psychological, by balancing blood sugar (read more about sugar here), reducing stimulants, ensuring optimum nutrition, plus judicially using these natural anti-anxiety herbs and nutrients, you can break the habit of reacting with fear and anxiety to life’s inevitable stresses. Addressing the potential underlying triggers for anxiety is also important.
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2 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn9257
3 Field DT, Cracknell RO, Eastwood JR, Scarfe P, Williams CM, Zheng Y, Tavassoli T. High-dose Vitamin B6 supplementation reduces anxiety and strengthens visual surround suppression. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2022 Nov;37(6):e2852. doi: 10.1002/hup.2852. Epub 2022 Jul 19. PMID: 35851507; PMCID: PMC9787829.
4 Kafeshani M, Feizi A, Esmaillzadeh A, Keshteli AH, Afshar H, Roohafza H, Adibi P. Higher vitamin B6 intake is associated with lower depression and anxiety risk in women but not in men: A large cross-sectional study. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2020 Oct;90(5-6):484-492. doi: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000589. Epub 2019 Jun 11. PMID: 31188081.
5 Mahdavifar B, Hosseinzadeh M, Salehi-Abargouei A, Mirzaei M, Vafa M. Dietary intake of B vitamins and their association with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional, population-based survey. J Affect Disord. 2021 Jun 1;288:92-98. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.055. Epub 2021 Mar 26. PMID: 33848753.
6 McCabe D, Lisy K, Lockwood C, Colbeck M. The impact of essential fatty acid, B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc supplementation on stress levels in women: a systematic review. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017 Feb;15(2):402-453. doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-2016-002965. PMID: 28178022.
7 de Oliveira IJ, de Souza VV, Motta V, Da-Silva SL. Effects of Oral Vitamin C Supplementation on Anxiety in Students: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Pak J Biol Sci. 2015 Jan;18(1):11-8. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2015.11.18. PMID: 26353411.
8 Sim M, Hong S, Jung S, Kim JS, Goo YT, Chun WY, Shin DM. Vitamin C supplementation promotes mental vitality in healthy young adults: results from a cross-sectional analysis and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur J Nutr. 2022 Feb;61(1):447-459. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02656-3. Epub 2021 Sep 2. PMID: 34476568; PMCID: PMC8783887.
9 E. Cheraskin et al., ‘Daily vitamin consumption and fatigability’, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (1976), vol 24(3), pp. 136–137.
10 Noah L, Dye L, Bois De Fer B, Mazur A, Pickering G, Pouteau E. Effect of magnesium and vitamin B6 supplementation on mental health and quality of life in stressed healthy adults: Post-hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Stress Health. 2021 Dec;37(5):1000-1009. doi: 10.1002/smi.3051. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33864354; PMCID: PMC9292249.
11 Tarleton EK, Littenberg B, MacLean CD, Kennedy AG, Daley C. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One. 2017 Jun 27;12(6):e0180067. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180067. PMID: 28654669; PMCID: PMC5487054.
12 Hindmarch I et al, Psychopharmacology, 1998; see also Hindmarch I et al, Psychopharmacology, 2000
13 Nobre AC et al., a report to Unilever by the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, 2003; see also Unno K et al, Pharmacol Biochem Behav, 2013
14 Lyon et al, Altern Med Rev, 2011
15 Pitts FN and McClure JN, New Engl J Med, 1967
16 Rakhimov A, Normal Breathing – The key to Vital Health; see also Fried R, The Hyperventilation Syndrome
