When anxiety that led to full blown panic attacks happened to me, it was a horrific, life stifling situation that I was determined to resolve. I went all out on pursuing natural remedies for anxiety, and now I’m sharing that here in case what worked for me may help others.
Of course this isn’t medical advice, and what works for me may not be what works best for you. So if there’s any chance it could help someone else, it’s totally worth sharing my experience and journey.
Women are more often afflicted because of changes that can occur from menstrual, childbirth and menopause, and all the times in between. However, anyone can also have hormonal imbalances that can occur from stress, diet and other components of modern life.
Stress can lead to anxiety which can lead to panic attacks. Often they escalate if unresolved. Seek help. It may just be hormonal imbalance that’s easily resolved with natural remedies. ~MyTrainerFitness.com
Audio Article – Natural Remedies for Anxiety
Anyone can experience hormone induced anxiety… it’s not just a female thing, but it does afflict more women than men.
Women are 11% more likely to suffer some kind of lifetime anxiety disorder than men, and more than twice as likely to experience panic disorder. ~1994 study by Kessler et al
One of the most effective natural anxiety remedies that has helped me is walks in nature. The next best thing is an herbal tincture that helps to balance hormones. The hormone that most spikes anxiety and vice versa, is cortisol, and there are several natural remedies for anxiety that have helped me tremendously.
I’ll elaborate on my story a little further down, so you’ll have some context on what I was dealing with and the entire protocol of natural remedies that resolved my acute bouts of anxiety attacks. But first… you know we gotta talk about this:
Disclaimers
Before we get into remedies that have saved my health, remember, this is NOT medical advice. This is me sharing what has worked for me.
You know the usual disclaimers are to “always consult with your doctor first”, so of course we must say that.
However… what my doctors prescribed made my hormonal imbalance much worse, and they were basing it off blood tests that told them what to prescribe.
Every body is different. Tune into yours.
Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders, affecting nearly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. ~2005 Study by Kessler, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Modern Medicine
Modern medicine is fantastic for many things. But doctors—as in any profession—vary in quality and mastery.
For me, when it comes to mending broken and torn areas of the body, I’ll seek traditional doctors for sure. When it comes to healing and prevention, I turn to natural remedies first.
So also always consider a second opinion (or third… or fourth!), if needed. And remember… ultimately, you know your body better than any doctor who sees you for a 15 minute appointment.
Even lab results may mean one thing for you and another for someone else.
If you’re not in tune with your body, then time to being listening and learning more about it. Start noticing and tracking in a health journal, your food intake and how you feel each day.
There’s universal truth to axiom, “Physician heal thyself”, often attributed to Hippocrates, and later, to Jesus Christ in Luke 4:23.
So listen to your body. You are your own best ally in health, but always seek the health care practitioners who support your efforts at prevention, and who also listen and take into consideration, your observations and concerns.
Being in tune with your body begins with exercise and foods that nourish.
If you’re not in tune with your body, time to begin listening. You have one body. Appreciate and take care of it, and it will do the same for you.
Seek a Professional
When I can’t self-heal—and depending on the ailment—I prefer to see a naturopath, herbalist, chiropractor and/or massage therapist first. There are a number of challenges with self-healing.
Challenges with self-prescribing can include not knowing the best natural remedies, in what amounts and frequency to use. There can also be issues where one remedy might not synthesize well with another, or, when an herb or vitamin needs another fo assimilation toward best results.
That’s another factor the herbalists professionals can advise on: the synergistic benefit of the herbs. Some herbs—like some medicines and some foods—work well together and some may counteract each other.
For example, further down in this article we talk about magnolia bark and Phellodendron bark, and how studies show that it takes the two together to have the most health benefits.
Natural remedies, like prescription medications, can be unnecessary, redundant or incompatible.
However, since most readily available herbs are relatively benign, and I have no herb allergies that I know of, I figured it’s generally safe to experiment. Besides, even the best doctors from all traditions won’t know how each body will respond.
When it comes to healing, there are so many variables that it’s rarely one size fits all.
Prescriptive allopathic medicine is mostly designed to alleviate symptoms, which can subsequently mask the actual cause. Seek preventive medicine.
The best holistic health practitioners guide you in the right direction then empower you to continue your healing journey on your own. Most causative healing, like fitness, requires your active involvement.
My #1 Go-to Herbal Remedy for Anxiety
Instead of stringing you on until the end to discover my number one favorite anxiety remedy, I’m starting there. This herbal tincture has helped me so much that it’s why I’m writing this article to hopefully help others who may be experiencing anxiety.
It’s been SUCH a relief to discover natural remedies that work… keeping in mind of course that every body and response system is different. Thankfully, there are many good natural anxiety remedies that work, but the ONE herbal remedy that I always have on hand should I have a sudden spike in cortisol is Cortisol Ease by Earth Friend Herb Company.
If you’re into making your own herbal remedies, here are the ingredients in the Earth Friend Herb Company’s Cortisol Ease natural anxiety remedy. This list contains many of the beneficial hormone balancing herbs, to give you an idea, should you be interested in testing any of these on your own, individually or in combination.
As you can see, it’s quite a list and it could take a lot of time to track all of these down and prepare your own teas and tinctures, which is why I stick with the ready made version. However, if you’re into that, this should get you off to a good start. You’ll just need to research and experiment for best quantities and ratios.
Cortisol Ease Ingredients
Common Name – Latin Name
Rhodiola Rhodiola – rosea Cedar Berries – Juniperus monosperma Juniper Berries – Juniperus communis Hawthorn Berries – Crataegus species Black Cohosh Root – Cimicifuga racemosa Blue Cohosh Root – Caulophyllum thalictroides Blue Vervain – Verbena officinalis Plantain – Plantago major Ginger Root – Zingiber officinale Lobelia – Lobelia inflata
Since going through this entire experiment, I ran out of the Cortisol-Ease, and my cortisol promptly spiked, and with that, unwelcome and unwarranted anxiety. When my order for Cortisol-Ease came in and I got back on that, the cortisol subsided again very quickly.
Over the course of a few months, my cortisol has regained balance.
Thanks to Cortisol-Ease, in conjunction with other self-treatment protocols, my anxiety issues and panic attacks are no longer a problem. You can see my self-treatment outline elaborated further below.
NATURAL REMEDIES for ANXIETY
What follows are the other natural remedies I included. All of these together, helped me regain sanity from the extreme panic disorder that had begun to take over my sense of self and state of mind.
Again, in summary, if I were to recommend just one thing, it would be the Cortisol-Ease. However, what works for me may not be what works for you.
For that reason, I’m including a plethora of other options, as well as the full protocol I used when I decided to take control of my health and resolve the anxiety issues plaguing my otherwise, well balanced self!
Bur first… what is Cortisol? In case you’re not certain, here’s a brief explanation.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, called glucocorticoids, that’s made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and called the “fight or flight hormone”.
When activated through stress, threat, foods, daylight and other catalysts—including too much high-intensity exercise—cortisol is released into the blood and transported throughout the body.
Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol, which means that the effect, reach and impact of cortisol can be extensive and pervasive.
Too much exercise can elevate cortisol which can increase fat and cravings. ~MyTrainerFitness.com
My Anti-Anxiety Stress Hormone Reduction Protocol
Again, this is NOT any prescription by any medical professional. This is just what I did that worked for me in significantly reducing anxiety through more than one bout of intense rounds of extremely elevated stress hormones:
Natural Anti-Anxiety Remedies that Helped Me Tremendously
No caffeine for a couple months (as long as needed) – (I went from a a 2-3 large cups per day caffeinated beverage habit, typically 2 butter coffees, no sugar, and often 1 chai mid afternoon, w/sugar or honey)
Eliminated all other sugar and sweeteners, (though I didn’t have much except in the chai) replaced afternoon sweet treat pick-me-up for healthy fruit and smoothies
1 concentrated cup at bedtime – so as not to have too much liquid before bed, I steep 1-2 of the nighttime / bedtime stress relief tea bags in just 1/4-1/2 cup of water and sip on this concentrate before sleep. See herbal tea list above, and also in this article on best herbs for stress reduction.
Warm milk with honey & nutmeg – these 3 ingredients each have calming properties that create a strong sleep tonic effect when used together at bedtime or in the night when sleep evades you. I also alternated between this and sleep teas at bedtime and when it was bad, used both.
Daily walks – walking is one of the top recommended remedies for reducing stress.
Exercise – vigorous exercise of all types, resistance exercises using dumbbells, biking and for fun, dancing to favorite dance music, all sure to shift my mood from feeling stuck in a vicious anxiety loop.
Time in natureeach day – if your walks can be out in nature, all the better. We live in the woods, and this is very much a part of my healing regimen.
Supplements – as outlined below under ‘Supplements’
Breathing exercises – these are powerful tools to learn for life. With practice, relaxation and stress relief is only a breath away.
Yoga – deeply stretching and calming, yoga can be like meditation in motion.
Meditation – this can be challenging in times of acute anxiety, but you can ease into through breathing exercises and yoga over time and as the other natural remedies for anxiety are beginning to help calm your system enough for meditation not to be counter-productive with mental overload.
Mindset – This is huge! Tune out the news and media; tune into positive mindset articles, videos, podcasts, books, gratitude journals, etc.
Melatonin – at bedtime only if the other remedies needed additional reinforcement in liquid drops of spray form. NOTE: Consult with your health advisor as some indicate taking melatonin — especially regularly — may not be a good thing.
You can find a lot of supportive personal development content on our creators website, like this article on how to be more positive and this one on reframing negatives to positives.
At Bedtime
At bedtime, I would also use clary sage or lavender essential oil on my wrists. I tend lay with one arm near my head, so I could also smell the soothing sage fragrance. Or, you could also try placing a tiny tad on the tip of your nose or just under your nose on your philtrum. Also, make sure this is an oil blend made for direct application to skin such as the roller bottles.
I would also have enjoyed some calming herbal teas and the cortisol ease tincture all geared toward calming the system for sleep.
You may wish to test a small patch of skin on your arm first to be sure it doesn’t irritate your skin. If it does, wash off then apply a soothing ointment like calendula salve you can make or buy..
“Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes practice. It takes love.” ~HealthyPlace.com
Teas for Stress
Daytime Teas
I found these herbal teas to be calming without inducing sleepiness.
These last three—or any of the sleepytime type teas, which often contain mint—are the ones preferred at bedtime so as not to induce sleepiness in the day time.
Additional Supplements for Reducing Anxiety and Balancing Cortisol
If you’ve ever experienced an anxiety induced panic attack, then you’re familiar with how startlingly disempowering they can be.
Panic attacks can have such a debilitating impact on your ability to feel like yourself and to be a calm and rational person. Many people who experience panic attacks come to fear the attack more than the thing that originally triggered it. And of course the fear of having an attack is often all that’s needed to bring it on. [3]https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/panic-disorder
My experience of anxiety definitely impacted quality of life. Anything from night panics to claustrophobia that could strike anywhere and anytime. From dentist chairs, to massage appointments (of all places), in airplanes and hotel rooms… even a large conference room or movie theatre, cortisol induced anxiety attacks definitely impaired life.
So I pulled out all the stops and developed a full on anti-anxiety protocol.
Anxiety induced panic attacks can feel like a body possessed and completely unresponsive to the rational mind. ~LeAura Alderson, founder, MyTrainerFitness.com
Hormone Balancing Supplements
Throughout the day, and according to mfg’s instructions, I also took the following supplements:
Designs for Health – FemGuard Balance Herbal Hormonal Female Hormone Balancing Formula
ProBiome Rx Adrenal Restore – Delivers a Strong, High-Quality Probiotic with 5 Billion CFUs per Serving of Plant and Soil-Based Organisms
Iodine Dietary Supplement as Potassium Iodide – Easy to Take One (1) Potent & Effective Drop a Day Absorb Fast to Best Help With Iodine or Thyroid Deficiency
Adrenal Edge – Adrenal Fatigue Support Supplement & Cortisol Manager – an alternative to Cortisol Ease, however, not as effective for me.
AND… SUPER IMPORTANT: Cortisol-Ease, which I still use today, as needed, often at bedtime if my cortisol is spiked, which more likely to happen if my sleep is interrupted, especially just as I’m drifting to sleep when really tired.
Thyroid, Adrenals and Anxiety
Thyroid and adrenal are interconnected and often related to cortisol and stress. So these herbs were to balance and nourish these organs.
After a little over a month, I was able to add in one cup a day of my favorite butter coffee with MCT or coconut oil. After two months I was back to 2 cups a day without any problems.
As I ran out of the various supplements I was taking, I dropped them one by one until all that was left is the Cortisol Ease. After each cessation I monitored the cortisol (anxiety) spikes closely, and reinitiate whatever was removed if problems were noted. Mainly now, I only notice spikes if I’ve had too much caffeine, such as a cocoa or chai, both of which contain sugar.
On the occasion when I have a combination of caffeine and sugar it causes my cortisol to spike almost instantly. Mostly, it manifests as a hot flash. The cause and effect is clear. ~LeAura Alderson, founder, MyTrainerFitness.com
Seek Medical Attention
I hope this helps you. The cortisol-induced anxiety spikes can be traumatic and even debilitating, so if that’s happening to you, please go see a naturopath, get your blood tested for cortisol levels, etc., and prioritize your health. It is remedial. You don’t have to live with those imbalances, and you can probably heal the through health natural remedies.
Take care… and remember, if you are struggling, seek medical attention. Yes… seek natural remedies and solutions, preferably with the assistance of holistic health care providers, but do not delay getting the help you need sooner than later.
I wish someone had told me that a lot of what I was experiencing was hormone related imbalances, beginning with menopause, which escalated as anxiety often does.
For an interview with an herbalist speaking on how she healed her chronic illness and also remedies for cold and flu, you may enjoy this interview article.
Additional Natural Anxiety Remedies
If you like to experiment with your own herbs and herbal remedies, here are a few other combinations to try that I’ve researched but not yet tried:
Magnolia and Amur Cork Tree
Magnolia Bark – Magnolia officinalis
Amur cork tree – Phellodendron amurense
Studies of Magnolia and Phellodendron bark have been shown to:
Research revealed a magnolia bark and phellodendron bark supplement reduced cortisol by 18%. 2013 Study funded by Relora
If you’re into herbs and medicinal teas, you can try making your own. If not you can take the expedient route and try supplements with either these constituent barks, or the proprietary relora blend, both of which we’re linking for you below here:
Hello! I’m LeAura, a former homeschooling mom, fitness professional, entrepreneur, author, ideator, web publisher, and podcaster, passionate about helping others achieve their best possible life! I’m the owner of this site and a few others that I run along with my entrepreneurial family in areas that interest us, because we love to create and we love to share! If you really want to know more about me, you can check our ‘About’ page. (And while you’re there, please tell me about you)!
We haven’t created our family publishing company site yet, but as soon as we do we’ll link that here. Meanwhile, if you’re into gardening, you can see our gardening site, And, if you’re into creating anything, please visit our creators site, iCreateDaily.com. Thanks for reading… take care and be fit! LeAura Alderson, owner, MyTrainerFitness.com
