CalmAid

I’ve been taking Nature’s Way CalmAid for a while now, and it’s made such a difference in helping me manage daily stress and tension. I love that it’s made with clinically studied lavender and that it’s completely non-drowsy — so I can take it during the day without feeling tired or sluggish. It has a very light, natural lavender scent when you open the bottle, which I actually find soothing. I notice that I feel more relaxed and balanced, especially during busy workdays. If you’re looking for a natural way to support calmness and reduce tension, I definitely recommend giving CalmAid a try. It’s gentle, effective, and part of my daily routine now!

I have tried a plethora of non-pharmaceutical anxiolytics, and I can say that CalmAid is by far the most effective. For me, the effects are comparable to a low dose of Ativan, but without the drugged feeling. Here are the main things I notice: -Relaxed heartbeat. My heartbeat is usually very pronounced, but when I take lavender, it calms down dramatically. -Quieter thoughts. I don't know how to describe this except to say that the "volume" of my thoughts is turned way down on lavender. -Tremendous sense of calm. It's very hard to get upset or agitated or anxious while under lavender's influence. -Improved sleep. I've suffered from horrible insomnia for a long time, and lavender is one of the only remedies that's had a noticeable effect. It doesn't make me drowsy per se, but it makes me so calm and relaxed that sleeping is easier. However, there are some "side effects" (I use the term loosely) to be aware of when using this: -Reduced energy. I suspect this is just the lavender calming my stress response and revealing fatigue that's already present to some degree, but it's worth noting. As I mentioned, lavender doesn't make me tired, but it makes me just want to kick back and chill rather than doing anything very active or exciting. -Reduced motivation. Tying into the above, when using lavender I would often rather relax and watch a movie or read instead of getting work done. This is, I suspect, the dark side to being incredibly calm, whether it's lavender or something else making you that way. When you're calm, nothing seems to matter that much, including work. Ergo, you have less motivation. I think a certain amount of anxiety is healthy for optimal motivation, and lavender does away with that. -For these reasons, I don't consider lavender an optimal anxiolytic for social anxiety, because energy and motivation are so important in social situations. I suffer from social anxiety, and have used lavender to deal with this at times, and though it does make me less anxious, it also makes me less social. I'd recommend something more like phenibut for social situations. Despite these limitations, I still consider this an essential component in my anti-anxiety toolkit. I just try not to use it too often. Also, it's worth noting that human studies on lavender are somewhat lacking, and without more data, we don't know what the long-term effects of using it are. As with any drug (and I do consider this a drug), I think it should be used as little as possible. I would, however, much rather use this than a pharmaceutical anxiety medication. A final note, on when to take it: I've found the best time to be 30 minutes before bed, on an empty stomach. The effects are more dramatic when taken well away from food, and if you take it before bed, you get the sleep-enhancing effects immediately, and the anxiolytic effects all throughout the next day (it lasts a looong time).

This helps subtly calm me a bit. Not as powerful as a Benzo or anything but it helps a little.

I got this after reading about it on slatestarcodex; subjectively, I've found it effective for relaxation/stress reduction. I like to take it at the end of the week or when I'm sitting down to relax, and it seems to deepen that state. It gives my wife and I lavender-flavored burps which in my opinion is an added feature, but if you don't care for the smell of lavender it may be off-putting. The only negative to me is the price, I feel like these aren't a great value so I use them sparingly

My mom takes this every night to help her relax to get to sleep and it works well. I take it occasionally and it works for me, too. Neither of us wake feeling groggy or drugged. There is a slight taste of lavender, but its not too strong for me. I haven't tried it for daytime tension relief, so can't comment on that.

I did and do like these. I find it takes the edge off my anxiety. Oddly enough, they give me a headache the next morning. I tried only taking one pill at bedtime (instead of a second one halfway through the night); I made sure it wasn’t dehydration; I took electrolyte solution with it. I’ve pretty much eliminated anything else that a headache could’ve been caused by that I can think of. They work well enough for me that on some nights it’s going to be toss up and I will still take it. But it’s kind of a drag knowing that something natural that works has a residual headache the next morning.

This is a great night time or daytime supplement for anxiety and restless legs .

I’m not sure if it’s works for intended use because I’ve only taken one pill. This was suggested to me by my psychiatrist since conventional fda approved meds werent working. I was prepared to take this continuously as I am in a very stressful season of life (my child is battling cancer). Anyways I figured it couldn’t hurt - boy was I wrong. I took this before bed, and it was the ONLY new thing in my routine. The next morning around 9:30am (I had NOT eaten anything yet!) I started getting one of the worst episodes of heartburn I’ve ever experienced- and I’ve been pregnant three times!!! This was NOT conventional heartburn either- it was brutal. I actually almost went to the ER because I thought it was maybe something else (like a heart attack- despite the fact that I’m only 30 lol) but then I was like okay I’ll take some Pepcid and if in an hour it’s still painful then I’ll go in. Luckily, 20mg of Pepcid did the trick. Slowly, but it definitely took the edge off. The pain was so intense- the horrible burning, soreness; a feeling of something being stuck down in my esophagus too. The pain even radiated to my back in between my shoulder blades. After reading others experiences I think I can confidently say it was these pills. Maybe essential oils just aren’t meant to be ingested by some people?

This product has Pig gelatin and they did not mention is openly.

Very effective in restlessness and inability to sleep. I suffer from bipolar disorder and use it at night when I am particularly restless, and it does the job with no drowsiness and no side effect. However, it may make you feel more tired. Watch out for that.