Medications for Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder
103NATURAL AND HERBAL REMEDIES FOR  
SOCIAL ANXIETY
In recent years, herbal preparations have become popular for treating a wide range of 
health problems. For the treatment of anxiety and related problems, commonly used 
herbal preparations include St.-John’s-wort, kava kava, inositol, Rescue Remedy, and 
various other products. Generally, there have been very few studies on these products 
in people with anxiety-based problems, and we are aware of only one study that has 
speciﬁcally tested the effects of an herbal remedy for treating social anxiety disorder 
(Kobak et al. 2005). In this study, 600 to 1800 mg per day of St.-John’s-wort (also known 
as hypericum) was compared to an inactive placebo in forty people with social anxiety 
disorder. No differences were found in the effectiveness of St.-John’s-wort vs. placebo, 
despite the fact that some studies have found St.-John’s-wort to be an effective treatment 
for depression.
In addition to the lack of studies on the effectiveness  of herbal treatments, very little is 
known about the safety  of many of these remedies or the extent to which they interact 
with conventional medications. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any herbal 
products, just in case there are any known interactions with medications you may also 
be taking.
Although little is known about the effects of herbal treatments on social anxiety, 
there are a few studies on the use of herbal products for other anxiety problems (Connor 
and Vaishnavi, in press). Still, more studies are currently under way. In the coming years, 
additional information regarding the safety, interactions, and effectiveness of these