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Everyone has a little anxiety now and t
hen—when you start a new job, or
when your taxes are due. But for some
people, anxiety can be overwhelming.
For them, anxiety depletes their energy
and destroys their self-confidence.
Their waking moments are clouded by a
sense of impending disaster, or outright
fear—without any obvious cause. Has it
happened to you? If so, then you are likely
dealing with the joy-sapping effects
of anxiety.
In this
Terry Talks Nutrition
newsletter,
I want to tell you about an unexpected way
you can reduce anxiety and the host of
symptoms that go with it. I’ll get to that in
just a moment. But first, let’s take a look at
some basic facts and symptoms of anxiety.
I think most people can remember at least
a few times when they’ve been anxious.
Maybe it was right before you gave a
presentation at work, or the day you met
your soon-to-be spouse at the altar. That
anxiety is normal and expected. In fact,
it can actually help us by making sure
we give important events the attention
they need. For some, anxiety is just an
occasional problem, cropping up during
rush deadlines or family events, but for
many, anxiety is a crushing weight they
experience every day that can make it
difficult to function. In fact, approximately
40 million Americans age 18 and older
have some form of anxiety.
Conventional drugs to treat anxiety are a
lmost as well known for their side effects
as for their degree of relief. And while
there are many botanicals for anxiety that
are useful in varying degrees (valerian,
alpha-linolenic acid, flaxseed, lavender, and
gotu kola), some people may experience
side effects from them, and they may also
interact with certain medications. Plus, it
can take a long time for some botanicals
to provide relief. Thankfully, those aren’t
the only options. There is another clinically
tested, but unexpected herbal ingredient for
anxiety: echinacea.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “Come
on, echinacea? I thought it was for my
immune system. How can echinacea calm
my fears and reduce my anxiety?” I was
skeptical myself, at first. Not anymore.
A Secret in Echinacea
Compounds in this echinacea have been
shown in studies to have a calming,
relaxing effect in the brain, similar to Valium
or Librium, but without the sedation and
side effects. You can’t use just any form of
echinacea and expect the same results.
So, how is it that
Echinacea angustifolia
can be used for both colds and flus
and
generalized anxiety disorder? While they
are the same species, the phytochemical
composition of the plant is entirely different.
Let me give you an example. You and I
are the same species,
Homo sapiens
,
yet we are entirely different. We don’t
look alike, we don’t function alike, and
we have different fingerprints, different
DNA, and different genes. Much of these
differences are driven by the environment.
Humans adapt to any given environment.
Plant species are exactly the same. Any
given plant grown in an entirely different
environment takes on a different set of
phyto-chemicals. The species is the same;
the chemical composition is different.
These changes are brought about by the
composition of the soil, what’s in the air, the
amount of moisture, too much or too little,
or whether the plant is grown in the sun
or if it is grown in the shade. The chemical
composition can also be influenced by
the day and even the hour of harvesting,
and the extraction process used.
Researchers at the Hungarian Academy
of Sciences in Budapest studied different
species of echinacea. One type of
Echinacea angustifolia
had a different set of
fingerprints, DNA and chemical composition t
han other
Echinacea angustifolia
plants
that are studied for the immune system.
While analyzing the plant, researchers
found that it contained compounds
(alkamides) that could influence brain
chemistry, including the cannabinoid
receptors. Endocannabinoid receptors
influence the way the brain experiences
anxiety and have become a focus of
behavioral research in their own right.
After comparing all the echinacea
species, only one—
Echinacea
angustifolia
—provided the levels of
anxiety-reducing compounds needed
to produce dramatic results.
In further study, seven types of
echinacea extracts were compared
to the prescription anti-anxiety drug,
chlordiazepoxide (also known by the
brand name Librium
®
). Only one echinacea
preparation demonstrated a robust ability
to reduce anxiety in a
wide dosage
range comparable to the prescription
drug—the unique
Echinacea angustifolia
extract. That’s the one I recommend.
This echinacea root extract not only
met the drug’s anti-anxiety effects, it
exceeded them. It also didn’t cause any
drowsiness—a common side effect of
prescription drugs for anxiety. Aside
from drowsiness and lethargy, the other
adverse effects for chlordiazepoxide
include confusion, edema, nausea,
constipation, menstrual abnormalities,
jaundice, altered libido, involuntary movements and controlled substance.
In one study, the extract of
Echinacea
angustifolia
was tested with individuals
experiencing increased anxiety and tension.
After just one day, the participants noticed
a reduction in stress and anxiety, with an
even greater reduction in just seven days.
And, in another study published in the
March 2012 issue of
Phytotherapy
Research
, people recorded noticeably
reduced stress and anxiety in just
three days!
The study included 33 volunteers (22
women and 11 men) with an average age
of 41. All experienced anxiety, which was
assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI), a validated method of
measuring anxiety levels. Only individuals
meeting the threshold for elevated anxiety
levels were included in the study.
Participants used the echinacea extract
for one week, and anxiety was evaluated
before, during, and after using the
product. The extract decreased STAI
scores within three days, an effect that
remained stable for the duration of the
treatment (seven days) and for the two
weeks that followed treatment. There
were no dropouts and no side effects.
Aside from the lack of side effects, a
fast-acting, natural approach like this one
makes life much better, much sooner. With
other herbs, that’s not always the case.
It takes eight weeks to achieve significant
results with chamomile, three to eight
weeks for kava (depending upon whether
it is a water or ethanol extract),
and six to ten weeks for lavender.
