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Rooted

Nervous / Mental

Mild situational anxiety

6 plants

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Exam, travel, or short-run somatic tension with a clean MSE. Oral lavender oil has the strongest anxiety trial file here; lemon balm and passionflower are milder. Kava works and has a hepatotoxicity file — keep it restricted. This is not panic, PTSD, or anyone with SI.

Primary plants

  1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
    1
    LavenderHuman data

    Lavandula angustifolia

    Oral Silexan-type oil has the strongest anxiety RCT file in this catalog. Inhaled oil is not that product.

    Typical. Silexan-type oral oil 80–160 mg daily. Tea is traditional and weaker.

    Safety. Oral oil can cause burping/lavender taste. Do not ingest DIY essential oil.

  2. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
    2
    Lemon balmHuman data

    Melissa officinalis

    Mild nervine. Small human trials on anxiety-type scores. Tea and extract are different strengths.

    Typical. Dried leaf tea 1.5–4.5 g/day, or standardized extract as studied (~300–600 mg).

    Safety. Very well tolerated. Additive sedation with other CNS drugs is mild.

  3. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
    3
    PassionflowerHuman data

    Passiflora incarnata

    Small human trials (pre-op anxiety, GAD comparators). Modest effect.

    Typical. Aerial parts tea 2 g, or extract equivalent, up to tid.

    Safety. Additive CNS depression. Species: P. incarnata, not random Passiflora.

  4. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
    4
    AshwagandhaHuman data

    Withania somnifera

    Extracts have RCT data for perceived stress over 4–8 weeks. Not a rescue anxiolytic.

    Typical. Modern extracts often 300–600 mg/day; traditional powder 3–6 g is not interchangeable.

    Safety. Avoid pregnancy. Watch TSH. Stop for jaundice/dark urine. Additive sedation.

Supportive plants2
  • German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
    German chamomileStrong traditional
    Matricaria chamomilla

    Gentle evening tea. Traditional plus a small GAD-pilot file — do not oversell.

    Typical. Flower infusion 1–2 g.

    Safety. Asteraceae allergy.

  • Kava (Piper methysticum)
    KavaHuman data
    Piper methysticum

    Effective kavalactones — and a liver-injury file that keeps it off first-line.

    Typical. If used at all: aqueous/kavalactone-standardized, short course, under monitoring.

    Safety. Hepatotoxicity. Avoid alcohol, APAP stacks, liver disease. Sedation + driving. Restricted here.

Clinical notes

  • If function is collapsing or panic is the lead, this page is the wrong tool.
  • Lavender oil capsules ≠ putting essential oil in a drink.
  • Ashwagandha is a weeks-long stress-scale plant, not a rescue med.

When this is not enough

  • Suicidal ideation, psychosis, mania
  • Panic with avoidance, PTSD, or severe GAD — specialty care
  • New anxiety with chest pain, arrhythmia, or substance withdrawal

Rooted is a private clinical reference for licensed practitioners. It is educational, not a treatment protocol, and not a substitute for the chart, the exam, or pharmacy review. Plant medicines interact with drugs and can harm liver, kidney, heart, pregnancy, and children.

All nervous / mental diagnoses