Depression is one of the most common illnesses, yet many people are reluctant to seek professional help. Because there is still a stigma attached to mental or emotional illnesses, many people prefer to try and deal with the symptoms of depression by themselves. There are several herbal or natural treatments that can help lessen the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. These herbal remedies can be found in the nutritional supplement section of drug stores or health food stores and come in tablet, capsule, or sometimes tea form.

According to various estimates, up to 80% of the World population consider Herbal Remedies a part of an individual wellness regime. In the United States, the figure is about 30% with annual sales of Herbals approaching $4 Billion Dollars. Due the the increases in production Numbers of new prescription drugs and lack of funding by Government Regulating Agencies, many Herbal Remedies have gone under the radar so to speak, in terms of research and effectiveness. Compounded by the uses of Herbals in concert with conventional prescription medicines, many times unsupervised by a Physician, this can present a recipe for disaster.

In this age of overpriced prescription medicines, with all their side-effects, and some conventional treatments which give only partial or limited results, having other options to treating our healthcare concerns is needed.

Although European countries and Asian cultures embrace alternative medicine with as much respect as they do "modern" conventional medicine and, in some cases, use it instead of or in conjunction with conventional treatments, we are kind of slow to grasping this concept here in the States.

I have held a personal interest in the last few years in alternative medicine. For that reason, I am constantly on the lookout for quality products of this nature that have been tried, tested and evaluated by others and that have a stellar reputation.. It's also important to me that the cost be reasonable, as there are many natural products companies who gauge their customers with ridiculously overinflated pricing for their merchandise..

Anxiety and panic attacks are said to be brought on biochemically, because of the effects of certain things, like caffeine and other drugs, on the brain. A panic attack is an intense feeling of fear- some people even claim to think they are dying, or feel as though they are having a heart attack. Panic attacks are one extreme form of anxiety.

Most prescription drugs given by doctors for anxiety are mainly used for depression. Though these illnesses are both very different from each other they do both stem from the same areas of the brain and have some of the same factors creating their presence in our lives. This is why I have lumped them together in this article.