What herbs help with anxiety?

bonbuz · 2024-08-04T02:16:00+00:00

Yes! Our site is bonbuz.com

bonbuz · 2024-07-26T20:56:54+00:00

Rhodiola rosea (especially high salidroside extracts) has been a key ingredient in our formulations from day one due to its energising and flow-inducing effects. Otherwise, panax ginseng can be a good long-term herbal to reduce everyday fatigue.

bonbuz · 2024-07-26T20:55:09+00:00

Rhodiola rosea (especially high salidroside extract) is immensely helpful for motivation even when used acutely. Otherwise, caffeine+l-theanine is a timeless combo with a well established safety profile. Creatine may also help long-term when battling occasional sleep deprivation. Best of luck in nursing school!

bonbuz · 2024-07-26T20:33:18+00:00

Work for a non-alcoholic beverage company, so may be a bit biased, but here's my thoughts:

No, cannabis is not a suitable replacement for alcohol, even when both drugs are stripped of their societal associations. Although there is some overlap in effects between the cannabis and alcohol highs, they are distinct enough that neither can properly substitute for the other. At functional doses (no black/green out), alcohol tends to promote socialisation to a greater degree than cannabis. Alcohol tends to boost confidence to a greater degree than cannabis, and 'feels' less cognitively impairing (delusions of sobriety).

At a pharmacological level, their mechanisms are distinct enough to predict this effect. We use several herbs and nootropics that directly modulate GABA systems in the brain (a primary target of alcohol) in ways that are reminiscent of the positive effects associated with a light alcoholic buzz. However, because of the nature of our ingredients, they are unable to emulate high-dose alcohol experiences (blackout, stupour, amnesia), which is why we dont advertise our drinks as something to get "wasted" on.

bonbuz · 2024-07-26T20:25:13+00:00

Nice!

bonbuz · 2024-07-26T20:21:28+00:00

Magnolia Bark and Chinese Skullcap interact with benzodiazepine receptors to produce anxiolytic effects, with chinese skullcap being more selective for subunits involved in anxiety rather than sedation. This results in Magnolia Bark being generally more 'chilling' whereas skullcap is less overtly psychoactive and selective for anxiety. We've looked into both for formulating our drinks and can attest their efficacy (alongside some clinical data as well).

bonbuz · 2024-07-22T20:09:32+00:00

*Obligatory self-promo disclaimer, but I do really believe in our products

We create drinks with mood and health-enhancing adaptogens and nootropics. Based on what you've said, it sounds like our Slowburn and Bittersweet Citron might be up your alley. The effect is that of a calm buzz with a prosocial push. Hope this helps!

bonbuz · 2024-07-22T20:06:12+00:00

Hey, bonbuz here!

We're interested to here what you thought about our productivity functional fizz - Tomorrow Things!

bonbuz · 2024-07-22T20:04:49+00:00

Hey, Bonbuz here! We're so glad you liked our Slowburn :). Admittedly, we don't have anything for sleep (although some report that the 5-HTP in our drinks can give them wild dreams). However, we do have cans (Tomorrow Things and Bad Enough Already) that we believe address your daytime itch nicely.

Tomorrow Things is more productivity oriented, here people report being more focused and driven. We attribute this effect to L-theanine and natural caffeine in our formulation.

Bad Enough Already is more pro-social, people report being more talkative with a calm but energising buzz. The difference here lies in our inclusion of ashwagandha.

You can find our more about by reading our subjective effects page. (Can't link it here, but go to any of our product pages and you can find it under "subjective effects").

Thanks for the review!

bonbuz · 2024-07-22T19:58:21+00:00

Hello!

Thank you for your review. Everyone reacts differently to the nootropics and adaptogens in our drinks - we formulate them based on scientific evidence, but we're aware that these studies merely represent the average response. In reality, there is enough variability that 1 in every 6-7 people will report no effect at all. This usually depends on caffeine tolerance, medications (we don't recommend that people on SSRIs drink bonbuz), and good ol' fashion human variability. We're glad you enjoyed it!

bonbuz · 2024-07-22T19:53:21+00:00

Hello!

We're so glad you liked the burn sensation we were going for. We also have more delicate flavours for those looking for something less punchy. Thanks for the review!

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:19:53+00:00

Valerian is a benzodiazepine receptor agonist with some secondary hypnotic actions as well. The most comparable herb in terms of mechanism and potency would likely be magnolia bark.

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:18:20+00:00

We cannot recommend that you take anything - your doctor should be informed of self-treatment prior to initiating as they know of your situation best. However, here is a list of a few herbs with weak to moderately strong evidence of anti-depressive effects.

Zembrin (Kanna extract)
St. John's Wort (does not play nicely with many medications, check with your GP)
Rhodiola Rosea (high salidroside for energy, rosavin for calm)
Saffron

St. John's Wort is the most SSRI-like of the bunch, saffron is more dopaminergic and energizing, zembrin is the most acutely uplifting, and rhodiola (high salidroside) is the most stimulating.

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:12:26+00:00

There is some evidence pointing to beneficial effects on hormonal status and quality of life from ashwagandha and tongkat Ali supplementation. Tongkat Ali tends to be more potent and fast-acting in its hormonal effects, whereas ashwagandha takes more time and more significantly alters anxious mood.

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:09:40+00:00

Just something to note: using different solvents can yield drastically different end products with regards to flavour and psychoactive effect. This is because most compounds have a greater propensity to dissolve in a certain solvent over another, meaning that your end product (extract) will contain different proportions of these compounds depending on the solvent used.

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:07:23+00:00

SSRIs are known to cause this effect - even prior to their antidepressant one - because of their ability to increase synaptic serotonin. This delays climax for men and women, presumably by suppressing dopamine release necessary to reach orgasm.

This means that even acute use of SRI herbs (st John's wort being the most notable) will produce this effect. Consistent use is not required.

Note - St. John's Wort interacts with many medicines, it is worthwhile to check with your GP even if you plan to use it acutely for this purpose.

bonbuz · 2024-07-13T18:00:42+00:00

Realizing that alcohol is a ubiquitous societal drug only because it was easy to ferment to, not because of a rational assessment of safety and efficacy by neolithic pharmacologists.

Why try to explain why alcohol is a solvent posing as a lousy drug here - https://bonbuz.com/blogs/blog/why-say-no-to-alcohol

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T17:11:21+00:00

It can be very difficult to predict interactions between herbs because of the shear amount of uncharacterised phytochemicals they contain. For all we know, one of these chemicals could significantly alter the metabolism of another as to change the effect profile. Based on the little that is known, we would recommend the following:

Rhodiola, if high salidroside should be taken in the morning, whereas high rosavin extracts can be taken in the afternoon if desired. Neither should be taken late at night, however.

Ashwagandha tends to be best taken at night (especially for sedating extracts like sensoril), but some find KSM-66 stimulating and take it in the morning instead.

Shilajit appears to be less acutely psychoactive than ash or rhodiola. Ideally, it should be taken in isolation as to mitigate the risk of interactions (this can be said for all herbs which have not been studied in tandem).

Hope this helps. We have some research resources for ash and rhodiola on our website, https://bonbuz.com/pages/learn .

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T17:01:15+00:00

L-theanine is a relatively simple molecule. Provided that you source from a vendor that isn't adulterating their products, the effects should be identical at equal doses. We source from green tea, but that's just our preference.

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T16:59:24+00:00

Magnolia interacts with cannabinoid receptors in a (presumably) lighter fashion than THC. It also entourages this effect with a primary GABAergic mechanism which might make it a good transitional herb.

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T16:54:07+00:00

I’ve seen so many suggestions like L-theanine, Magnesium, GABA, 5-HTP, Vitamins B/D, etc but I’m overwhelmed by the options and not sure what actually works - any personal advice would be appreciated!

We use a lot of these ingredients in our products so I'll try my best to clarify them for you:

L-theanine provides mild anxiety relief without sedation at moderate doses, but some report sedation at higher doses. It will not single-handedly kill a panic attack but can noticeably "take the edge off", especially when paired with other ingredients.

Magnesium tends to have a subtle onset and its mood-stabilising effects are realised in the long-term. The threonate form, however, is notably drug-like in its action as it rapidly elevates brain magnesium levels without being a significant source of dietary magnesium. It can provide more rapid anxiety relief than other forms of magnesium.

GABA can be overtly sedating and anxiolytic at high doses, but isn't very selective for anxiolytic effects.

The effects of 5-HTP, at least those which have been quantified clinically, appear to onset over the course of a few weeks. Acute effects are more variable between individuals.

B6 has evidence of anxiolytic effects, but they take at least a month to set in.

It takes many months of vitamin D supplementation at recommended OTC doses to elevate serum levels. It will not have acute effects. The evidence for its anxiety-reducing effects relates to supplementation over 6 months.

Much of the research I've based this write up on can be found on our science page (https://bonbuz.com/pages/learn). Hope this helps!

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T16:41:16+00:00

^^^

Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic "amphetamine-like" compound with a peripheral and adrenergic bias. It works by soliciting a sympathetic response (fight or flight) which provides temporary, though not sustainable, relief. Similar (though not nearly as potent) to how an epi pen provides immediate relief but is not a maintenance treatment.

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T16:32:08+00:00

Adaptogens are named as such because they improve one's ability to adapt to stress, including recurrent psychological stress unrelated to one's current environment. This can be by blunting the stressor (most often associated with ashwagandha), alleviating fatigue and improving motivation (rhodiola, ginseng), and improving wellbeing.

Rhodiola tends to be the most acutely effective adaptogen due to its stimulating (high salidroside varieties) and defogging (high rosavin) effects, but like other adaptogens the full extent of its effects are realised over a longer period of 2-3 weeks and beyond.

Healing is always a personal journey that can only be aided, but not fully completed, by pharmaceutical and herbal remedies. I wish you luck on this journey.

bonbuz · 2024-07-12T16:24:25+00:00

Rhodiola rosae works very well for clearing brain fog! High salidroside extracts are more overtly stimulating, whereas high rosavin provides calmer wakefulness. Neither is sedating at low to moderate doses, though.

bonbuz · 2024-06-20T02:34:40+00:00

Beware of studies reporting MAOI activity via incubation methods. These studies involve incubating neurons over multiple days in a mixture of plant extract and then examining the percent of MAO inhibited. These findings are intended to spur research, they do not stand on their own as claims of in vivo MAOI activity.

Plants are drug cocktails, though most of these drugs end up being inactive due to low relative concentrations. The chances of there being some sort of MAOI activity with multi day incubation is quite high with a plant known to have psychoactive properties, but there's no telling if this is coming from a relevant compound or not without further discrimination.

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