A supplement that helps a situationally stressed person with transient anxiety won’t necessarily be effective for a person with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The best evidence for relieving anxiety symptoms in the context of GAD comes from trials whose participants have all been diagnosed with GAD. Although many supplements have been studied for anxiety symptoms, relatively few trials have been specifically in people with GAD. Supplements that have demonstrated promise in preliminary research include lavender oil, passionflower, ashwagandha, saffron, and ginkgo biloba.
- A 2010 randomized controlled trial (RCT) in people with GAD found daily lavender oil capsules to be as effective as a benzodiazepine for GAD.[1]
- In a small 2001 RCT, passionflower extract was as effective for treating the symptoms of GAD as oxazepam (a benzodiazapine).[2] More recently, in a 2016 RCT of passionflower extract as an add-on to sertraline (an antidepressant) in people with GAD, self-rated anxiety was lower after a month of passionflower than a month of a placebo.[3]
- In a small 2013 RCT, people with GAD who took ashwagandha powder for two months had noticeably lower “anxious mood” scores compared to people who took a placebo powder, although there was no difference in the other symptoms.[4]
- In a small 2017 RCT in people with GAD, the participants who took saffron extract as an add-on to sertraline therapy for 6 weeks had lower anxiety scores than the participants who took a placebo add-on.[5]
- In a small 2007 4-week study, the anxiety scores of participants were reduced more with ginkgo biloba extract than with a placebo. However, while the majority of the participants in this study were people with GAD, about one-quarter of the participants were people with adjustment disorder with anxious mood instead.[6]
- In a small 2002 pilot study comparing valerian extract to diazepam (a benzodiazepine) and a placebo in people with GAD, valerian didn’t reduce overall anxiety scores as much as the placebo did.PMD:12410546
- Although kava is generally effective for treating anxiety symptoms, in a 2022 review of studies, it was not as effective in people with GAD.[7]
Because of the small size of these trials, more research is necessary to confirm these findings.