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Can Ayurveda Treat Anxiety and Why?
Complete Guide to Ayurveda For Anxiety Disorder
Ayurvedic Diet
An Ayurvedic diet focuses on building mindfulness around what times a person consumes food, what food a person ...
An Ayurvedic diet focuses on building mindfulness around what times a person consumes food, what food a person consumes, and how eating can help maintain wellness. It does not include a standard eating schedule.
An Ayurvedic practitioner guides the person on how to interact with food. He or she teaches the person how to cook and prepare food that restores balance to their doshas. The Ayurvedic physician also asks the individual to be aware of their posture while eating and focus on eating slowly. This helps the person become more mindful when he or she eats.
An Ayurvedic diet’s goal is to help a person establish a healthy lifestyle by consuming foods that are good for overall health. It helps the person better digest food and helps the body flush out toxins to prevent potential illness.
Ayurvedic Exercise
According to Ayurveda, the type of exercise people engage in depends on their constitution or unique combination of ...
According to Ayurveda, the type of exercise people engage in depends on their constitution or unique combination of doshas: vata, pitta, or kapha.
• Vata types are quick, flexible, and active. They benefit from cycling, walking, and yoga.
• Pitta types are competitive, strong, and fast. They benefit from engaging in competitive sports like long-distance running, cycling, hiking, and swimming.
• Kapha types are strong and have a lot of endurance. They benefit from engaging in moderate to heavy aerobic exercise such as long-distance running, weight lifting, and rowing.
Ayurvedic exercises also vary according to the seasons.
Yoga is one type of Ayurvedic exercise. It helps calm the mind and reduce physical stress by restoring balance to the internal organs through mindful movements and breathing. It rejuvenates the body and improves digestion, lymphatic health, and blood circulation.
Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments (Rasayana)
These traditional herbal treatments are primarily derived from plants, garden spices, and herbs.
The herbal formulations can be ...
These traditional herbal treatments are primarily derived from plants, garden spices, and herbs.
The herbal formulations can be ingested as tablets, teas, jams, and powders or applied externally as soaps, massage oils, and pastes.
They focus on cleansing the body’s systems and enhancing bodily functions. The herbal treatments also improve a person's connection to the environment because they activate the individual's senses and keep them grounded.
An Ayurvedic practitioner carefully chooses them to help the person restore the balance to his or her doshas (energies) by treating the underlying causes of energy imbalances and disease in the body.
The underlying causes of Anxiety from the Ayurveda perspective
Anxiety is a normal response to stress. People who experience it are uncomfortable, worried, nervous, or fearful of the future.
Anxiety can range from being mild to severe. It may become a disorder when feelings of anxiety are constant. It can affect daily life or cause distress and affect work or interpersonal relationships. If left untreated, it will most likely get worse.
Some symptoms of anxiety may include feeling nervous or ...
The underlying causes of Anxiety from the Ayurveda perspective
Anxiety is a normal response to stress. People who experience it are uncomfortable, worried, nervous, or fearful of the future.
Anxiety can range from being mild to severe. It may become a disorder when feelings of anxiety are constant. It can affect daily life or cause distress and affect work or interpersonal relationships. If left untreated, it will most likely get worse.
Some symptoms of anxiety may include feeling nervous or worried, having an increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, feeling restless, feeling tired, sweating, having stomach problems, and having trouble concentrating because you are feeling worried.
According to Ayurveda, the main cause for anxiety (chittodvega) is due to an imbalance in the vata dosha that affects the nervous system and the mind.
The vata dosha is the energy that moves everything in the body. It is responsible for movement in the nervous system. This includes the movement of neurotransmitters in the brain as well as neuron signaling.
When a person has anxiety, there is excess vata dosha or excess motion in his or her mind. This vata imbalance causes a mental response in the body and increases feelings of worry or fear, which may lead to anxiety.
Excess vata also causes a physical response in the body. Because of excess vata, neurons fire signals rapidly, putting the nervous system on high alert. This can cause a person to have trouble sleeping and difficulty feeling grounded, which can cause anxiety.
Learn everything about anxiety and find all the natural solutions to treat it naturally, including various diet programs, alternative medicine, vitamins, supplements, herbal medicine, and home remedies.
Why Ayurveda helps treat Anxiety
Ayurveda helps treat anxiety because it restores balance to the excess vata dosha (the energy of movement) in the mind.
This helps reduce anxiety symptoms and prevents illnesses.
Why Ayurveda helps treat Anxiety
Ayurveda helps treat anxiety because it restores balance to the excess vata dosha (the energy of movement) in the mind.
This helps reduce anxiety symptoms and prevents illnesses.
How Ayurveda works for Anxiety
Ayurveda works to restore the doshas by unblocking the energy channels in the mind so vata can flow smoothly throughout the rest of the body. This helps a person feel more grounded and stable.
According to Ayurveda, a person is just like the universe, made of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth
These elements combine in the body to create three energies or doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
- Vata dosha consists of the elements of ...
How Ayurveda works for Anxiety
Ayurveda works to restore the doshas by unblocking the energy channels in the mind so vata can flow smoothly throughout the rest of the body. This helps a person feel more grounded and stable.
According to Ayurveda, a person is just like the universe, made of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth
These elements combine in the body to create three energies or doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
- Vata dosha consists of the elements of space and air
- Pitta dosha consists of the elements of fire and water
- Kapha dosha consists of the elements of water and earth
The doshas regulate every single process in the body. They control and maintain the body’s tissues (dhatu), waste products (mala), and digestion (agni).
Ayurveda treatment for Anxiety
Ayurvedic treatment for anxiety is specifically tailored to each individual’s case and looks at the dominant dosha in their constitution. However, Ayurvedic treatment for anxiety generally involves the following aspects:
A. Purvakarma treatments:
Purvakarma is Sanskrit for “foremost action.” It comprises herbal and oil treatments that loosen the accumulated toxins in the gut and brain. Ayurvedic medicine believes these toxins cause anxiety.
Accordingly, purvakarma practices direct the toxins to specific waste and elimination centers in the body.
Purvakarma practices help ...
Ayurveda treatment for Anxiety
Ayurvedic treatment for anxiety is specifically tailored to each individual’s case and looks at the dominant dosha in their constitution. However, Ayurvedic treatment for anxiety generally involves the following aspects:
A. Purvakarma treatments:
Purvakarma is Sanskrit for “foremost action.” It comprises herbal and oil treatments that loosen the accumulated toxins in the gut and brain. Ayurvedic medicine believes these toxins cause anxiety.
Accordingly, purvakarma practices direct the toxins to specific waste and elimination centers in the body.
Purvakarma practices help prepare people for Panchakarma (detoxification therapies).
They consist of three treatments:
1. Pachana (digestion therapy)
2. Snehana (oleation therapy)
3. Swedana (sudation therapy)
The purvakarma treatments that help anxiety are:
1- Pachana (digestion therapy): Patients should take herbal formulations that reduce anxiety and restore balance to the vata dosha.
2- Snehana (oleation therapy): Patients should receive oil massages (abhyanga) regularly. Oil massages help soothe the nervous system and calm the mind.
B. Panchakarma treatments:
Panchakarma, which is Sanskrit for “five treatments,” is a five-step detox program in Ayurveda. These treatments help detoxify the body and restore balance to the vata, pitta, and kapha doshas. The five treatments are:
1. Vamana (medicated emesis)
2. Virechana (medicated purgation)
3. Vasti (medicated enema)
4. Nasya (nasal medication)
5. Raktamokshan (bloodletting)
An Ayurvedic practitioner would manage anxiety using the following Panchakarma treatment:
1- Nasya (nasal medication): a practice where oils are administered through the nose. It helps restore balance to the vata dosha. It soothes the mind and helps prana (life force energy) flow through the body properly, keeping the body balanced and healthy.
C. Rasayana (Rejuvenation treatments):
In Ayurveda, rasayana, which is Sanskrit for “path of essence,” consists of practices that help rejuvenate and nourish the mind and body. Rasayana practices include consuming herbal treatments or decoctions and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. They also incorporate exercise, yoga, and a regular self-care routine (dinacharya) to maintain balance in all aspects of life.
The rasayana practices that help treat anxiety are explained in more detail below.
Dietary modifications:
The Ayurvedic diet aims to balance all three life energies or doshas in the mind and body. Patients should maintain a diet that restores balance to the vata (movement) dosha in the mind and nervous system to treat or prevent anxiety disorders.
To balance the vata dosha, an Ayurvedic diet will often include foods that contain less oil to increase the kapha and pitta doshas in your body. It will also exclude sweet foods and sour fruits that aggravate or increase the vata dosha.
An Ayurvedic diet also prescribes eating specific foods as part of Purvakarma (preparatory treatments) before Panchakarma (detoxification therapies) to help loosen the accumulated toxins in the mind that cause anxiety.
Patients should maintain the Ayurvedic diet even after they complete Purvakarma and Panchakarma therapies.
Herbal Treatments:
Ayurveda prescribes herbs or herbal treatments to treat anxiety. The treatments are specifically tailored to the person’s symptoms. Practitioners prescribe different herbs depending on the person’s symptoms.
Some of these herbs include:
- Tulsi (Holy Basil): it helps the body react better to stress and lowers anxiety levels.
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): it helps balance the mind’s vata dosha. It is the energy responsible for the movement of thoughts and feelings in the mind. By restoring balance to the vata dosha, Ashwagandha helps lower anxiety levels.
- Shankapushpi (Convolvulus prostratus): it has anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties.
- Jatamansi (Spikenard): it has anti-stress properties and helps the body eliminate toxins. It also helps get rid of the mind’s prana (energy) blockages.
- Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri): it reduces the body’s cortisol levels and helps the nervous system calm down.
- Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): it helps reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
Dinacharya (Routine):
Dinacharya, or establishing a routine, is one aspect of rasayana that helps treat disorders like anxiety and restores balance to the body and the mind.
Dinacharya includes:
- Adjusting dietary habits: Patients should eat foods at regular times. They should also eat healthy foods that help restore balance to the vata dosha (energy of movement).
- Regulating sleeping habits: Patients need to adjust their sleeping habits and begin sleeping at regular times every night. Routine helps stabilize vata energy.
- Exercising regularly: Patients should engage in physical activity every day to stabilize all the doshas. Exercise helps decrease stress, which decreases anxiety.
- Practice yoga: Patients should practice at least 10 minutes of yoga every day to stabilize the vata dosha and reduce anxiety.
Practice pranayama: Patients should practice breathing techniques or pranayama every day. Pranayama helps decrease anxiety and improves mood because patients focus on their breathing instead of the things that are bothering them.
- Massaging yourself: Patients should massage themselves with oil every day to help vata (the energy of movement) move throughout the body.
Ayurveda for Anxiety: Recommendations to Follow
- Eat at regular times: Eat at regular times to help establish a routine. Having a schedule decreases chaotic vata energy, which decreases anxiety.
- Exercise regularly: Engage in physical activity every day at regular times to stabilize the vata dosha and reduce anxiety.
- Sleep well: Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get at least 7 hours of sleep to reduce anxiety.
- Practice yoga: Practice at least 10 minutes of yoga every day, including breathing exercises or pranayama. Try to go ...
Ayurveda for Anxiety: Recommendations to Follow
- Eat at regular times: Eat at regular times to help establish a routine. Having a schedule decreases chaotic vata energy, which decreases anxiety.
- Exercise regularly: Engage in physical activity every day at regular times to stabilize the vata dosha and reduce anxiety.
- Sleep well: Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get at least 7 hours of sleep to reduce anxiety.
- Practice yoga: Practice at least 10 minutes of yoga every day, including breathing exercises or pranayama. Try to go through the postures slowly and focus on sitting still to cultivate inner peace.
- Practice activities that increase mindfulness: Practice meditation for at least 20 minutes every day. Meditation helps relieve stress and lowers anxiety.
- Give yourself an oil massage: Give yourself a massage using a warm oil every day to cultivate self-love. Massages also help soothe the nervous system. Use a warm oil like sesame oil to help excess vata (the energy of movement) move throughout the body.
Foods to eat:
According to Ayurveda, all foods possess certain gunas (qualities). The gunas in the foods are transferred into energies that influence the balance of the doshas in the body.
People with anxiety should consume foods that possess heavy, warm, and sweet gunas (qualities) that increase the kapha (structure and lubrication) and pitta (digestion and metabolism) doshas (energies) to balance out the vata (movement) dosha (energy).
These foods include:
- Fruits: sweet fruits such as bananas, figs, mangoes, and coconut
- Vegetables: green beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes
- Dairy products: ghee, yogurt, and milk
- Protein: eggs, fish, seafood, and chicken
- Grains: whole wheat products and oats (oatmeal should be warm)
Herbs to use:
The following herbs are beneficial for anxiety because they protect against stress, reduce feelings of anxiety, eliminate toxins in the body, and balance the vata dosha. Herbal teas also help lower anxiety.
- Tulsi (Holy Basil): it helps the body react better to stress and lowers anxiety levels.
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): it helps balance the mind’s vata dosha. It is the energy responsible for the movement of thoughts and feelings in the mind. By restoring balance to the vata dosha, Ashwagandha helps lower anxiety levels.
- Shankapushpi (Convolvulus prostratus): it has anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties.
- Jatamansi (Spikenard): it has anti-stress properties and helps the body eliminate toxins. It also helps get rid of the mind’s prana (energy) blockages.
- Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri): it reduces the body’s cortisol levels and helps the nervous system calm down.
- Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): it helps reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
Ayurveda for Anxiety: Things to Avoid
-Don't skip meals: Skipping meals makes it harder to establish a routine, which aggravates vata energy, causing anxiety. Skipping meals also affects digestion and causes toxins to accumulate in the body.
- Avoid drinking coffee and tea: these drinks aggravate the vata dosha (the energy of movement) and cause a vata imbalance.
- Avoid or limit alcohol consumption: alcohol has a drying effect on the body and may increase vata (the energy of movement) which also dries out the body. Drinking alcohol can also decrease sattva or purity of mind, which is already low in anxious people and can increase feelings of fear and worry.
- Avoid soft drinks: these drinks contain high amounts of sugar and can overstimulate the nervous system.
- Stop smoking: Nicotine stimulates the nervous system and may lead to increased feelings of anxiety.
Foods to avoid:
According to Ayurveda, all foods possess certain gunas (qualities). The gunas in the foods are transferred into energies that influence the balance of the doshas in the body.
People with anxiety should avoid foods that have cold and light gunas (qualities) that overstimulate and increase vata (the energy of movement) in the body.
These foods include:
- Fruits: sour fruits such as apples, pomegranates, and dried fruits
- Vegetables: Lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, and raw onions
- Grains: Buckwheat, barley, and corn
- Sugary foods and sweets
- Oily and fatty foods
Ayurvedic Medicine for Anxiety: precautions
Ayurveda uses natural and herbal remedies to treat diseases. However, if you want to use Ayurvedic medicines, herbs, supplements to treat a particular condition, you should consider the following precautions:
- Consult your Ayurvedic practitioner before taking Ayurvedic products on your own. Let them know if you have diabetes or are taking medication that may affect your treatment plan. They should adjust it to avoid any harmful interactions with the medication you are taking.
- Some Ayurvedic ...
Ayurvedic Medicine for Anxiety: precautions
Ayurveda uses natural and herbal remedies to treat diseases. However, if you want to use Ayurvedic medicines, herbs, supplements to treat a particular condition, you should consider the following precautions:
- Consult your Ayurvedic practitioner before taking Ayurvedic products on your own. Let them know if you have diabetes or are taking medication that may affect your treatment plan. They should adjust it to avoid any harmful interactions with the medication you are taking.
- Some Ayurvedic products and practices are banned in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve or review Ayurvedic products. Some herbal compounds or preparations may contain lead, mercury, or arsenic in toxic amounts.
They can cause serious illnesses in children and may be life-threatening for pregnant or lactating women and their babies. Other compounds from untrustworthy manufacturers may contain steroids, which may cause further health issues.
WARNING:
- Make sure to disclose to your primary care physician that you are seeing an Ayurvedic practitioner and are taking Ayurvedic formulations. This ensures you stay safe and avoid medication interactions that might cause serious side effects.
- If you are taking medication for diabetes, don’t stop taking them if you begin Ayurvedic treatment unless your doctor approves it.
- Some Ayurvedic practitioners may not be qualified to treat you. Make sure that your Ayurvedic practitioner is well-trained, certified, and has the relevant experience to meet your needs.
- Be careful when buying Ayurvedic herbs or formulas. Don’t buy Ayurvedic products unless they have a GMP (Good Manufacturing Product) stamp on them if you are buying them from India. Be extra careful when purchasing herbs online because online stores may be selling counterfeit products.
Ayurvedic medicine for Anxiety: side effects
Since Ayurvedic treatments are derived from natural herbs and plants, most treatments do not cause adverse events. However, if you take some Ayurvedic preparations or herbs, you may experience the following side effects.
- Some Ayurvedic products contain toxic amounts of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, or mercury, and they might cause heavy metal poisoning.
- Some Ayurvedic herbal formulations might cause headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, rashes, or allergic reactions.
Ayurvedic medicine for Anxiety: side effects
Since Ayurvedic treatments are derived from natural herbs and plants, most treatments do not cause adverse events. However, if you take some Ayurvedic preparations or herbs, you may experience the following side effects.
- Some Ayurvedic products contain toxic amounts of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, or mercury, and they might cause heavy metal poisoning.
- Some Ayurvedic herbal formulations might cause headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, rashes, or allergic reactions.
What science says about Ayurveda For Anxiety Disorder
Views in favor
Anxiety | How to Manage Anxiety with Ayurveda | 10 Minutes with Dr. Marc Halpern
Views against
An Alternative Treatment for Anxiety: A Systematic Review of Human Trial Results Reported for the Ayurvedic Herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Library center Ayurveda For Anxiety Disorder
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