While we can't escape or completely eliminate anxiety, we can create a more peaceful life with natural anxiety relievers. Plant-based essential oils, free of nasty synthetic chemicals, are relatively cheap and readily available, and they help calm a stressed nervous system.
Lavender for anxiety and how to use it
Lavender is one of the most popular natural remedies for anxiety. Known for its sleep-enhancing properties, it has been processed into oils and added to candles and creams for years.
Lavender belongs to the licorice family, which includes other flowering herbs such as sage and mint. The evergreen plant has been used for its medicinal properties for over a hundred years, even before its mysterious calming effects were truly discovered. There are more than 40 different types of lavender, all with a slightly different composition. The key active ingredients are: linalool and linalyl acetate, which is supposed to reduce anxiety. You can take lavender essential oil orally, inhale it through aromatherapy, drip it into your bath, or apply lavender-based gels and creams to your skin.
It is in 2019 study, which pooled data from more than 13,000 people, showed that oral intake of lavender oil most effective in treating anxiety. Meanwhile, aromatherapy and lavender oil massage also showed benefits in reducing anxiety, but the effects were significantly smaller.
