herbs and herbal supplements may help alleviate anxiety symptoms

Question

Learn about natural remedies to alleviate anxiety symptoms, what to do, and when to see a doctor.

Answer 1

The article you listed focuses on different natural remedies, not just herbal, to help combat anxiety. It is also a WebMD article, which many doctors don't advise using because it can sometimes take normal symptoms and exaggerate them. I'd include some other articles that help support your claim from credible sources. An article from the National Library of Medicine states, "...lavender, hops, maypop, lemon balm, and valerian have consistently been shown in clinical trials to relieve mild forms of neurological disorders, particularly depression, anxiety, and stress..." (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9500625/) A different article posted by the National Library of Medicine claims that, "...nutritional and herbal supplementation is an effective method for treating anxiety and anxiety-related conditions without the risk of serious side effects." (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2959081/) The National Library of Medicine is a very credible source that not only supports the claim of WebMD, but goes into detail about how those conclusions were reached.

Comments

You do a good job in giving greater evidence for the claims listed in the article,  however while the information you cite is correct I'd say maybe put it in a more cohesive paragraph rather than just quoting what they say directly.

Answer 2

The article you cited is heavily centered around natural remedies, rather than specifically herbal remedies for anxiety. This can be slightly misleading because the claim is specifically "herbs and herbal supplements". I would have found a different source to back up this claim like Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/herbs-for-anxiety#our-picks) which actually lists out herbal remedies and their affects. 

Comments

I like this response because it focuses on strictly herbal remedies instead of a bunch of different natural remedies, which the original article is titled with for some reason. I think the Healthline source pick is great because it does a very thorough job of explaining each type of herbal supplement and picking out the ways that they can aid with anxiety relief. I think sometimes webMD can be useful when it comes to some topics but it does not have the same attention to detail at times compared to webMD.

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I agree with your claim, I wanted to find more sources to back up the actual claim made. This article from Mayo Clinic lists many different herbal supplements that can be used as treatments for anxiety and what they individually help with. The original claim is true, however, it is not supported in the best way.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/herbal-treatment-for-anxiety/faq-20057945