HELP FOR ANXIETY

To me it seems unfair that depression, which brings you down - enough for anyone to have to wrestle with - is often accompanied by anxiety that makes you feel helpless and unsafe in the world. Chronic anxiety is another mental state with which I am far more familiar than I would like to be. When anxiety raises its ugly head in my life I begin to suspect that something deep within me is trying to be born. Some neglected or ignored part of me is attempting to break though the routine existence which, because I feel familiar and reasonably safe with it, I tend to cling to. Knowing that most likely this is happening for my own good, to help me grow, doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. It is in such circumstances that I turn to plants for help: chamomile, kava kava, motherwort, valerian, borage (for courage), hops, lemon balm, or skullcap. There are so many common plants which can come to the aid of anxious people. It may be that the very nature of these forms of life – firmly rooted as they are in the ground - helps us find our own solidity. I don’t know. But I am always grateful that these plant friends are there.

AT THE ROOT OF MIND BENDING

Kava kava –Piper methysticum – is another of my favorite chill out herbs. It is a consciousness altering root with immediate effect. In Tonga this root forms the locus of the warm and wonderful kava ceremony which unites people in good will and relaxation the way no other plant I have ever known can. Natives gather the kava roots, dry them and pound them. Then they place them in a beautiful wooden kava bowl, mix them with water and spit into the mixture. This has the effect of making the alkaloids in the plant more psychoactive. Kava kava is the quickest acting natural antidepressant and relaxant known to man. Just as it traditionally unifies the tribe, kava kava unifies the person – banishing the sense of fragmentation that is common to modern life. Take a teaspoon of kava extract in a glass of water. You will feel it in your stomach within two minutes, in your brain within five. Kava kava can be a great quick fix for the soul. It brings a sociable relaxation and contentment allowing conversation to flow – just like alcohol, but without the aggression or loss of responsibility. Kava sharpens rather than dulls the senses and leaves you with no hangover.

Calming to both mind and body, kava promotes sleep. And the body does not seem to become ‘tolerant’ to its effects so kava does not lose its power to help over time. There have been many trials to establish kava’s ability to relieve anxiety. The most recent studies indicate that (taken in small doses) it can reduce anxiety significantly after one, two, and four weeks of treatment without side effects. A safe alternative to dangerous tranquilizers, sleeping pills and antidepressants, kava is used by some of the largest pharmaceutical companies as a basis for medicines designed to treat anything from urinary tract infections to arthritis as well as nervous disorders of all kinds. Menopausal symptoms are sometimes relieved by taking regular doses of kava – and not just those associated with stress and anxiety either. Kava improves mood and cools hot flushes.

It is the kava root which holds the plant’s medicinal power. Kava’s relaxing properties appear to derive from oxygen-containing, lipid-like compounds known as lactones or pyrones. Six major kavalactones and a dozen minor ones have so far been identified. They may influence GABA, the neurotransmitter that calms the central nervous system. Some studies show that the kavalactones seem to act on the limbic system too, an ancient part of the brain which is considered the seat of instinct and emotion. It is the whole root of kava which has the greatest effect, not its isolated compounds. You can buy kava dried in capsules, as a tincture and as an extract. I like the extract best.

Kava Bliss

Take 1 teaspoon of extract of kava in a little water when you need to relax.

Caution: High doses of potent kava products can reduce motor control and may even cause liver problems. It’s not a good idea to drive or operate machinery if you have taken a high dose, so go easy. Persistent heavy use may also cause diarrhea, lethargy and apathy in some people, or even a scaly skin condition. These conditions can be reversed by ceasing to take kava. Do not use kava kava and alcohol at the same time.