*All info is meant to be informative and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your Doctor*

Do you have anxiety?

Many people suffer from generalized anxiety. It causes of a lot of distress, suffering and discomfort and it often drives people to use addictive and harmful pharmaceuticals. Even though we would like to remove the obstacles to health, sometimes this isn’t easy to identify nor is it possible to completely remove (school, family, job, etc.). Instead we have to find ways to cope with the anxious feelings. Common symptoms are racing heart, muscle tension, rapid breathing, sympathetic overstimulation, insomnia, hot flashes and headache.

The use of lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) to calm nerves has been used for centuries. Not only is it a nervine, but it is also a nootropic (cognitive enhancer), a carminative (good for settling digestion), a spasmolytic (calms smooth muscle) and an excellent herb for burn relief.

This study compares a prepared lavender oil capsule (named Silexan) with the commonly used benzodiazepine, Lorazepam. This was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized study to see how Silexan compares to Lorazepam with regard to relief of anxiety.

This study included 78 subjects between the ages of 18-65 who had previously been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale (HAM-A) was used to assess the level of anxiety before the initiation of treatment. Additionally there was a one week time period where all participants were only given placebo to clear the system of any other drugs and eliminate participants that described a >10% improvement with placebo alone. The remaining subjects were randomly split into two groups. The silexan group was given a 1×1 80mg capsule of silexan and a 1×1 capsule of lorazepam placebo. The lorazepam group was given a 1×1 capsule of 0.5mg of lorazepam and a 1×1 capsule filled with silexan placebo.

After six weeks the HAM-A score was evaluated as the main objective variable. The results show that the HAM-A score was reduced by >50% in 52.5% of the silexan group participants and 40.5% of the lorazepam participants.

The final results show that silexan is at least as effective, if not better than lorazepam in the treatment of GAD. This is good news since  lavender oil does not have the same sedative effects or the potential for addiction/abuse. This study suggests that lavender oil can be a safe, effective alternative to benzodiazepines. Please know that it is very dangerous to suddenly discontinue the use of benzodiazepines so consult with your physician to work on a taper protocol.

But, the MOST IMPORTANT message here is that the deeper, underlying problem causing the anxiety should absolutely be explored. There are many ways to relieve anxiety and Naturopathic Medicine has a lot of options. Schedule an appointment with me in the future and we can work on this together!