It’s frustrating when your doctor’s only answer to anxiety is medication.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could overcome anxiety without medication OR with your medication?
Think about this for a moment.. there are always secondary effects to using medications. But, sometimes they are necessary.
As an herbalist, I am not against medications. I would like to share some alternatives if you choose not to take them.
Let me show you how.
First, here are some of the side effects that women mention they experience when taking SSRIs.
5 Side effects of SSRIs
- Insomnia, you may need a second drug to help you sleep
- Unable to have an orgasm- need I say more!
- Head feels heavy, moms feel jittery in their skin
- Moms complain it works well for a while then out of nowhere symptoms return
- And.. it may take years to taper off
But hang on.. don’t go off your medications without your doctor’s approval.
In this post, you’ll discover the 9 herbal alternatives to Zoloft, to ease your stress AND anxiety.
#1 Passionflower
- Used as a tincture or a tea for difficulty with sleep
Matthew Wood states that it actually increases concentration during wakefulness by “cutting out internal chatter”
- It’s an excellent herb to use when you need quality sleep, but don’t want to feel sleepy and need to get things done!
- Dosing:
- Drink 1-2 cups of a blended tea, 2 hours before bed to prevent night waking.
- Take 20-30 drops of the tincture in 1/4 cup of water before bed.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/2 safe by the German Commission E
#2 Skullcap
- Use as a tincture or a tea for insomnia, irritability, and to soothe the nerves without slowing you down; like Chamomile tea may.
- Dosing:
- Drink 1-2 cups of blended tea, 2 hours before bed to prevent night waking.
- Take 20-30 drops of the tincture in 1/4 cup of water before bed.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/2 safe by the German Commission E
#3 Stinging Nettles
- Filled with vitamins and minerals- nettles are my go-to daily nourishing tea.
- Safe while breastfeeding, consider creating your own tea blend or purchasing Earth Mama milkmaid tea; which includes stinging nettles in their blend.
- Dosing:
- Drink 1-2 cups, during the day as it has a diuretic effect.
- Take 20-30 drops of the tincture in a blended tincture during the day.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/2 safe by the German Commission E
#4 Chamomile
- A gentle nervine that is safe enough for babies, toddlers, and big kids.
- Take Chamomile at night for sleep difficulty as it can be slightly sedating.
- Dosing:
- Drink 1-2 cups, 2 hours before bed to prevent night waking.
- Take 20-30 drops of the tincture in 1/4 cup of water before bed.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/2 safe by the German Commission E
#5 Lavender
- A lovely nervine, you can try Lavender essential oil on your pillows at night.
- Works wonderfully if you’ve had too much coffee.
- You can also try; Lavela to soothe anxiety before sleep. Clients have come off of Buspar with this one essential oil blend taken internally.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/1 safe by the German Commission E
#6 St. John’s Wort
- Take for depression, anxiety, and my favorite – estrogen clearance.
- Biggest herb/drug interaction. St. John’s Wort & alcohol have the greatest interference with your medication. Save this botanical for after you are done using SSRIs or working with a professional.
- Dosing: Take as a tincture, 20-30 drops; 2-3x day.
- Breastfeeding safety: Considered an L2/L3 safer and moderately safe by the German Commission E. See my youtube video on my St. John’s Review}
#7 Motherwort
- Great for heart palpitations, anxiety, irritability and overwhelm.
- I prefer to use it as a tincture because it is very bitter as a tea or supplement.
- Dosing:
- Take 20-30 drops of the tincture in 1/4 cup of water as needed for anxiety.
- Breastfeeding safety: It’s considered an L1/2 safe by the German Commission E but not to be used during pregnancy.
#8 Blue vervain
- An amazing nervine to soothe anxiety.
- Use if you are irritable, weepy, and depressed.
- Dosing: Take 20-30 drops, as a tincture in a 1/4 cup of water 2-3x day.
- Breastfeeding safety: There is no data from the German Commission E on Blue vervains safety. The botanical safety handbook considers it a Safety Class 2b; not to be used during pregnancy. Safety during lactation has not been established.
-
Mathew Wood states: Blue vervains” have very talkative minds, and may even talk out loud to themselves (best combine with agrimony); they are control-freaks, extremely self-critical, responsible, reliable, and loyal.
#9 Milky Oat Tops
- Take daily as a nourishing tea, steep for 8 hours, to soothe anxiety, works well with Stinging nettles.
- See The ONE daily tea blend above.
Along with botanicals, consider addressing these four factors after childbirth.
#1 Your Adrenal Health
- The adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys and produce several hormones, among them, cortisol.
- When under stress, we produce and release short bursts of cortisol into the bloodstream.
- The adrenal fatigue theory suggests that prolonged exposure to stress could drain the adrenals leading to a low cortisol state.
- The adrenal depletion would cause brain fog, low energy, depressive mood, salt, and sweet cravings, lightheadedness, and other vague symptoms.
- Take action>>One thing you can do is integrate an adaptogen into your diet to soothe your adrenal health.
#2 Check your Vitamin Levels
- Women struggling with anxiety and depression are often low in Vitamin D., Magnesium, and B vitamins; especially after childbirth or long periods of stress!
#3 Check your Gut health
- There is a connection between your gut health & anxiety
- Consider healing your gut with the 4R approach if you’re struggling with “digestive issues”
- Read more here: https://taragregorio.com/how-i-healed-postpartum-anxiety-by-addressing-my-gut-health/
#4 Are you Sleep deprived?
- Sleep is the #1 thing to restore to improve your health.
- Learn how to stop insomnia here: https://taragregorio.com/postpartum-insomnia-remedies/
Conclusion
In short, herbal medicine can be a great compliment to your current diet and lifestyle routine even if you’re breastfeeding or taking medications. I always suggest starting with one herb at a time to see how your body feels, then reach for a combine tincture for greater healing effects.
Do you think you could try these? I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Please leave them in the comment area.
Tara
References
Romm M.D., Dr. Aviva; Hormone Intelligence pg. 34 ² Winston, David & Maimes, Steven (2007) Adaptogens Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press. ³ Romm, Aviva, (2014): Botanical medicine for women’s health. Churchill Livingston. Upton, Roy; Bear, Soaring, Winton, David; Gagnon, Daniel; Romm, Aviva Jill; Low Dog, Tieraona; Hardy, Mary; Craker, Lyle. Botanical Safety Handbook, Second edition (2013). CRC Press. Medications and Mother’s milk; Hale & Rowe Principles and practice of phototherapy Bone & Mills The essential guide to herbal safety: Mills & Bones Herbal contraindications and drug interaction Brinker, Francis https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection
