In herbal medicine, anxiety is treated on the assumption that there is no single type of anxiety. At the base there is indeed the assumption that each of us has a specific way of perceiving, dealing with and managing events and interpersonal relationships. The personal variable given by each person's reactions, experiences and feelings can lead to suffering related to different causes which can then lead to anxiety.
When an individual claims to "suffer from anxiety", one must first investigate what kind of anxiety it is in. Starting from the analysis of physical symptoms and careful listening to the description of what causes anxiety, the herbalist can to identify the wrong attitude that the person takes towards life and to manage situations.
Herbal medicine and anxiety: the 2 natures of anxiety
Physiological anxiety is a substantially natural, physiological response to an internal or external stress that the brain receives. Anxiety is commonly perceived as something annoying, a harbinger of discomfort or even suffering. However, in its positive value, the presence of this emotion allows us to develop the ability to adapt and react to a stimulus that appears, sometimes suddenly, to change our balance, which allows us to organize, to face a situation.
Then there is that form of anxiety that is completely unknown and apparently unmanageable, which comes from the unconscious. In this case it is more difficult to rationalize what is gripping us because it is something that eschews any possible identification. Therefore, excluding the pathological causes of psychiatric origin, which are not of herbal relevance, when people experience this emotional state, the fundamental element is the negative perception we receive both from the brain as discomfort, worry, malaise and tension as from the body, given the psychosomatic disorders that anxiety can give rise to.
During the interview with the herbalist, to describe the disorder and its origin, we put order in the emotional turmoil, coming to discover a little more about our nature and who we are. Are there herbal remedies for anxiety? Those, below, are some of the main herbal remedies for managing anxiety states using Bach flowers and herbs and medicinal plants.
Herbal medicine and anxiety: types of anxiety and their remedies
Let's find out what the various types of anxiety and associated remedies are.
Control anxiety
There are some people who tend to keep things under control, thinking in their hearts that everything can be foreseen managed and resolved through will, discipline and rigor.
These people will tend to develop gastritis, stomach disorders and constipation. The herbal remedies for this type of anxiety are the Bach Rock Water flower and the bud derivative, ( Ficus carica) . The person will start to let things go; in this way you can discover the pleasant side of life.
Anxiety from anticipation
Anticipatory anxiety suffers those who have a quick, impetuous, impatient temperament, little able to spontaneously synchronize their rhythms with those of others.
Any examples? He lives with this kind of anxiety who easily gets impatient at traffic lights, in front of the queues, because he is terrified of wasting his time. or, again, those who do not sleep at night, because they think about what they should do the next day.
Physically, a similar subject can experience muscle tears and tension, insomnia. Herbal remedies for those suffering from anticipation anxiety are lemon balm (herbal tea, mother tincture or tablets), which allows muscle relaxation, and Impatiens. In this way the spasmodic tension and anxiety become still and one learns to accept the natural flow of life and its times.
Anxiety from excessive worry
Those who consider life a constant threat suffer from it. There are those who fear and worry only for the health of others, with loss of balance and serenity. Even the world surrounding these people ends up being invested with obsessive apprehension, possessive emotionality that leads to hyperprotection, especially parental protection. Red chestnut is the right remedy.
If instead anxiety arises from having to face certain known situations (lift, plane, etc.) that come to worry the individual until he is afraid of them, the herbalist will identify Mimulus among the Bach flowers. These people will also be able to take advantage of the relaxing properties of hawthorn. Thanks to these remedies, anxiety turns into calm, serenity and balance.
The anxiety of the "unspoken"
Those who tend to hide their feelings behind an apparent happiness suffer. Hiding one's own concern, bitterness and strong inner torment, behind the cheerful, courteous and calm external appearance, is a behavior aimed at avoiding conflicts and discussions at all costs. The victim of this type of anxiety avoids showing his opposition or his disagreement with people or situations, even making compromises that are unfavorable, because he does not tolerate conflicts.
Moreover, he is constantly seeking evasion to face trials with joy, but in reality he lives gripped by restlessness, anxiety, torment and inner torture, especially at night. Physically develops colon problems, suffers from irritable bowel and eating disorders. The Agrimony flower will help to face problems without hiding them, giving us serenity and optimism; while the gemmoderivato of the blueberry ( Vaccinum vitis idaea ) and the passionflower, respectively, will flame the intestine and calm the states of anxiety.
Anxiety about responsibility overload
Those who do not ever turn back or, faced with an emergency, do not let themselves be frightened by fatigue suffer, but end up asking too much of themselves, facing an overload that leads to collapse.
Only then does the subject realize that what he is trying to do is beyond his strength; it also happens that, occasionally, tired from too much work, you get to be afraid of not being up to your job.
The Eleutherococcus will help her tone the body and recover lost energy, while the Elm flower will reduce anxiety by teaching the person to be self-indulgent.
