I've been using various herbs to treat my anxiety for the past few years. I started with Valerian which had a very good effect on reducing anxiety. Though I liked not being bothered by worry and tension, the Valerian often made me too drowsy so I decided to see what else was out there. I then switched to Kava. This herb lives up to it's reputation as being a great treatment for anxiety. Most of the time, it helped quite a bit but there were times when I would be so depressed and stressed out that it would sometimes make the "mind chatter" even worse. One thing Kava is known for is enhancing the sense of awareness. This may not be best in some circumstances of anxiety. Though I mentioned Kava, I would use extreme caution before ever giving it a try. There've been recent reports of liver failure with some Kava users. These people used Kava with prescription medication and/or alcohol or they already had liver problems they were not aware of. So I would say to avoid Kava unless you can be tested to know for SURE that your liver is healthy. Anyway, this whole liver scare issue over Kava lead to many brands being pulled from the shelves and the herb was getting hard to find. This is when I figured I would try something else for my anxiety. I've since discovered Scullcap and I think it's great. Not only is it very relaxing but it gets rid of most unwanted thoughts and makes it so much easier to concentrate. I have to say that Scullcap gives quite a nice feeling. It's been said that Scullcap has sometimes been adulterated with another herb (Germander) that's known to cause liver damage. For this reason, I only get my Scullcap from Nature's Way because they are one of the most reputable companies. I also found out where they get their product from and that it's pure. Hope this info will help and PLEASE do your own internet reasearch on any herb before you decide to try it. This way, you can determine if it would contradict any individual health concerns or meds you may be taking. Don't take any herb until you are completely off meds.

[This message has been edited by gar fla (edited 01-22-2003).]