Are there any evidence-based supplements for treating anxiety?

Some supplements have been studied, but there aren’t many with strong evidence to back up their use for anxiety. Lavender oil has some evidence to support its use for treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). One study^[1] found it to be equally effective to a benzodiazepine in treating GAD. However, more studies are necessary to confirm this finding and to explore lavender oil’s possible efficacy in other anxiety disorders. Other reviews support the use of supplements such as kava^[2] and inositol,^[3] though the former carries a possible risk of inducing hepatotoxicity, and the latter does not have as much evidence to warrant its use as an anxiolytic. Magnesium also has some promising evidence^[4] for lowering symptoms of anxiety. Apart from supplements, one meta-analysis^[5] ranked different interventions by their effectiveness in reducing symptoms of anxiety.