Supplements for anxiety
36 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oils and herbs that are genuinely sold for anxiety — what the research says about each, what it interacts with, and where the honest answer is that the evidence is thin.
There appear to be hundreds of these on any shop's shelves. There are not: nearly all of them are the same few dozen ingredients wearing different labels, and a great many blends are four cheap things plus one expensive-sounding one. This list covers the ingredients, which is what you need when you turn a bottle over — including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones a pansari here will offer and a Western list leaves out.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
Start with a blood test, not a bottle
Several things on this list only help if you are actually short of them, and being short of them can look a great deal like anxiety on its own — exhaustion, poor concentration, low mood, broken sleep. Vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency are all common in Pakistan and all cheap to test for. Testing first is the difference between correcting a real problem and buying a supplement your body throws away.
Jump to: Vitamins and minerals (8) · Amino acids and related compounds (8) · Fats and oils (1) · Herbs and botanicals (15) · Hormones, bacteria and fungi (4)
Vitamins and minerals
The ones worth a blood test before a purchase. If you are short of any of these, correcting it does more for how you feel than anything else on this page.
Iron
Never take it without a blood test. Untreated anaemia is exhausting; unneeded iron is dangerous.
Mixed evidenceMagnesium
Cheap, mostly harmless, modest evidence — and the form on the label decides whether you absorb it.
Mixed evidenceVitamin D
Worth testing for. Low mood is a real symptom of deficiency, and deficiency is widespread here.
Weak evidenceB-complex
Reasonable insurance if your diet is poor. Not a treatment, and not a substitute for testing B12.
Weak evidenceMultivitamin
A sensible floor under a poor diet. Not a treatment, and not a reason to skip a blood test.
Weak evidenceSelenium
A narrow safe window and thin mood evidence. Do not stack it.
Weak evidenceVitamin B6
Some evidence for anxiety at high doses — and high doses are exactly what damages nerves.
Weak evidenceVitamin C
Cheap and harmless, with very little evidence that it does anything for mood.
Amino acids and related compounds
Building blocks the body turns into neurotransmitters. Several of these are the ones most likely to interact badly with an antidepressant, so read the warnings.
Inositol
Some real trial support in panic and OCD, at doses far above what most bottles hold.
Mixed evidenceL-theanine
Mild, fast and unusually safe. Good for taking the edge off, not for treating an anxiety disorder.
Mixed evidenceNAC
Genuinely interesting for picking, pulling and compulsions. Weaker for depression itself.
Weak evidence5-HTP
Sold as a natural serotonin booster. That is exactly why it is risky alongside an antidepressant.
Weak evidenceGABA
Sold as calm in a capsule. Very little of it reaches the brain.
Weak evidenceGlycine
Small sleep-quality evidence. Cheap, sweet-tasting and low risk.
Weak evidenceL-tryptophan
The step before 5-HTP, with the same interaction risk and a contamination history.
Weak evidenceTaurine
Interesting in animals, barely studied in people for anxiety.
Fats and oils
The best-established supplement story in depression, and the one where the label on the back of the bottle decides whether you are taking a studied dose or not.
Herbs and botanicals
Plants, including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones sold by every pansari here. Natural does not mean gentle: this section contains both the strongest herbal evidence and the most dangerous interactions on the site.
Lavender oil
The oral capsule has real trial evidence. The oil in a diffuser does not.
Reasonable human evidenceSaffron
Surprisingly well-studied for something in your kitchen, with consistently positive small trials.
Mixed evidenceAshwagandha
The best-studied herb for anxiety and stress — with a liver-safety question that deserves an honest mention.
Mixed evidenceBacopa (brahmi)
Best evidence is for memory, not calm — and it takes months to do anything.
Mixed evidenceCBD
Real evidence at doses far above what is sold — and its legal position in Pakistan is the first problem.
Mixed evidenceChamomile
Gentle and pleasant, with a couple of decent trials at extract strength.
Mixed evidenceLemon balm
Mild, pleasant, and better studied than most kitchen herbs — though studies are small.
Mixed evidencePassionflower
Small trials suggest it calms pre-procedure nerves. Longer-term evidence is thin.
Weak evidenceBlack seed (kalonji)
Culturally important and broadly safe, with early and low-quality mood evidence.
Weak evidenceGinkgo biloba
Studied mostly for memory. A little anxiety data, and a real bleeding risk.
Weak evidenceGotu kola
Traditional calming herb with a handful of small studies and a liver caution.
Weak evidenceHoly basil (tulsi)
Pleasant as tea, with small and mostly low-quality stress trials behind it.
Weak evidenceRhodiola
Some promise for fatigue and burnout. Thin evidence for depression itself.
Weak evidenceValerian
Long used for sleep, but the trials are inconsistent and often poor quality.
Safety concern — avoidKava
It does reduce anxiety. It has also caused liver failure, and that settles it.
Hormones, bacteria and fungi
Hormones, gut bacteria and mushrooms. Different risks from everything above, and the gap between what is marketed and what has been shown is widest here.
Melatonin
A body-clock signal, not a sleeping pill — and sleep is often the thread worth pulling.
Weak evidenceLion's mane
Fashionable, with a couple of tiny human studies and a great deal of extrapolation from mice.
Weak evidenceProbiotics
A real and interesting field of research that has not yet produced a reliable product.
Weak evidenceReishi
Traditional calming mushroom with very little human mood evidence and a liver caution.
How to read the labels above
- Reasonable human evidence — several decent trials in people, with the effect showing up more than once.
- Mixed evidence — some trials positive, others found nothing, or the studies were small and short.
- Weak evidence — widely sold, but the human research is thin or missing.
- Safety concern — harm has been reported that outweighs any benefit shown.
None of these ratings mean a supplement will or will not work for you. They describe the strength of the research, which is a different thing.
Three things worth knowing before you buy anything
Natural does not mean harmless. St John's Wort can stop hormonal contraception working and is dangerous alongside an antidepressant. Kava has caused liver failure. Iron that you did not need can damage your heart and liver, and iron tablets are a leading cause of poisoning in small children. Every page here carries its own warnings for a reason.
Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including anything from a pansari. They cannot warn you about an interaction they do not know about, and herbal products are the ones people most often leave off the list.
Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead. Stopping suddenly can make you very unwell, and the supplement with the best evidence here has only been shown to help mild to moderate depression.
If this is more than a supplement question
If you have felt like this for weeks, or it is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, the thing most likely to help is not on this page. Talk to us — ask a question, free and anonymous, or message us on WhatsApp. If you would rather see a professional, our directory lists them by city.