36 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oils and herbs that are genuinely sold for anxiety — what the research says about each, what it interacts with, and where the honest answer is that the evidence is thin.
There appear to be hundreds of these on any shop's shelves. There are not: nearly all of them are the same few dozen ingredients wearing different labels, and a great many blends are four cheap things plus one expensive-sounding one. This list covers the ingredients, which is what you need when you turn a bottle over — including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones a pansari here will offer and a Western list leaves out.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
Several things on this list only help if you are actually short of them, and being short of them can look a great deal like anxiety on its own — exhaustion, poor concentration, low mood, broken sleep. Vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency are all common in Pakistan and all cheap to test for. Testing first is the difference between correcting a real problem and buying a supplement your body throws away.
Jump to: Vitamins and minerals (8) · Amino acids and related compounds (8) · Fats and oils (1) · Herbs and botanicals (15) · Hormones, bacteria and fungi (4)
The ones worth a blood test before a purchase. If you are short of any of these, correcting it does more for how you feel than anything else on this page.
Never take it without a blood test. Untreated anaemia is exhausting; unneeded iron is dangerous.
Mixed evidenceCheap, mostly harmless, modest evidence — and the form on the label decides whether you absorb it.
Mixed evidenceWorth testing for. Low mood is a real symptom of deficiency, and deficiency is widespread here.
Weak evidenceReasonable insurance if your diet is poor. Not a treatment, and not a substitute for testing B12.
Weak evidenceA sensible floor under a poor diet. Not a treatment, and not a reason to skip a blood test.
Weak evidenceA narrow safe window and thin mood evidence. Do not stack it.
Weak evidenceSome evidence for anxiety at high doses — and high doses are exactly what damages nerves.
Weak evidenceCheap and harmless, with very little evidence that it does anything for mood.
Building blocks the body turns into neurotransmitters. Several of these are the ones most likely to interact badly with an antidepressant, so read the warnings.
Some real trial support in panic and OCD, at doses far above what most bottles hold.
Mixed evidenceMild, fast and unusually safe. Good for taking the edge off, not for treating an anxiety disorder.
Mixed evidenceGenuinely interesting for picking, pulling and compulsions. Weaker for depression itself.
Weak evidenceSold as a natural serotonin booster. That is exactly why it is risky alongside an antidepressant.
Weak evidenceSold as calm in a capsule. Very little of it reaches the brain.
Weak evidenceSmall sleep-quality evidence. Cheap, sweet-tasting and low risk.
Weak evidenceThe step before 5-HTP, with the same interaction risk and a contamination history.
Weak evidenceInteresting in animals, barely studied in people for anxiety.
The best-established supplement story in depression, and the one where the label on the back of the bottle decides whether you are taking a studied dose or not.
Plants, including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones sold by every pansari here. Natural does not mean gentle: this section contains both the strongest herbal evidence and the most dangerous interactions on the site.
The oral capsule has real trial evidence. The oil in a diffuser does not.
Reasonable human evidenceSurprisingly well-studied for something in your kitchen, with consistently positive small trials.
Mixed evidenceThe best-studied herb for anxiety and stress — with a liver-safety question that deserves an honest mention.
Mixed evidenceBest evidence is for memory, not calm — and it takes months to do anything.
Mixed evidenceReal evidence at doses far above what is sold — and its legal position in Pakistan is the first problem.
Mixed evidenceGentle and pleasant, with a couple of decent trials at extract strength.
Mixed evidenceMild, pleasant, and better studied than most kitchen herbs — though studies are small.
Mixed evidenceSmall trials suggest it calms pre-procedure nerves. Longer-term evidence is thin.
Weak evidenceCulturally important and broadly safe, with early and low-quality mood evidence.
Weak evidenceStudied mostly for memory. A little anxiety data, and a real bleeding risk.
Weak evidenceTraditional calming herb with a handful of small studies and a liver caution.
Weak evidencePleasant as tea, with small and mostly low-quality stress trials behind it.
Weak evidenceSome promise for fatigue and burnout. Thin evidence for depression itself.
Weak evidenceLong used for sleep, but the trials are inconsistent and often poor quality.
Safety concern — avoidIt does reduce anxiety. It has also caused liver failure, and that settles it.
Hormones, gut bacteria and mushrooms. Different risks from everything above, and the gap between what is marketed and what has been shown is widest here.
A body-clock signal, not a sleeping pill — and sleep is often the thread worth pulling.
Weak evidenceFashionable, with a couple of tiny human studies and a great deal of extrapolation from mice.
Weak evidenceA real and interesting field of research that has not yet produced a reliable product.
Weak evidenceTraditional calming mushroom with very little human mood evidence and a liver caution.
None of these ratings mean a supplement will or will not work for you. They describe the strength of the research, which is a different thing.
Natural does not mean harmless. St John's Wort can stop hormonal contraception working and is dangerous alongside an antidepressant. Kava has caused liver failure. Iron that you did not need can damage your heart and liver, and iron tablets are a leading cause of poisoning in small children. Every page here carries its own warnings for a reason.
Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including anything from a pansari. They cannot warn you about an interaction they do not know about, and herbal products are the ones people most often leave off the list.
Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead. Stopping suddenly can make you very unwell, and the supplement with the best evidence here has only been shown to help mild to moderate depression.
If you have felt like this for weeks, or it is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, the thing most likely to help is not on this page. Talk to us — ask a question, free and anonymous, or message us on WhatsApp. If you would rather see a professional, our directory lists them by city.