Nature's Way CalmAid Lavender Oil Supplement, Calm & Stress Support*, 30 ct

I was taking Olly Stress Relief gummies for a while to control anxiety, hyperactivity and racing thoughts, and they worked great. Recently I noticed that they were becoming a lot less effective and started searching for alternatives. This was my first choice and I've only used it this morning. Took one pill. So far I have noticed a lighter mood, lack of racing thoughts, and an overall feeling of being slowed down. I can focus on conversations better, and it slightly enhanced my ability to taste, flavors seem more vibrant.. I am a bit more "lazy feeling" as others mentioned, and I did get the lavender burps. They're not horribly obnoxious for me, just a bit different. Burps lasted maybe half an hour. So far I like it. Edit: it's been over a week now. The first few days I dealt with random headaches on and off, but did get benefits as stated above. After my body adjusted I stopped having the headaches and the "lazy" feeling. The lavender burps are still a thing and so is short term lavender breath right after taking a pill. You can describe it like a light lingering, kinda like toothpaste has a minty aftertaste, but lavender instead. For the most part I would still say it helps. It does not hit as hard as the first few days, but it is helping somewhat. Benefits for me: Less overstimulation in public, better ability to relax after work, anxiety is more "inconvenience", easier to focus, deeper sleep, less irritability. Cons for me: Short term lavender breath, vivid and unusual dreams, 2-3 day initial adjustment period for unpleasant side effects. What I'm doing: Taking one pill around 7-7:30pm daily with lots of water. Taking late to sleep off any potential unpleasant initial effects, and get better sleep.

This is my second box I take one at night before I go to bed. They helped me to relax and to go to sleep. They were great.

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).

Bought the 30 ct box twice and noticed a huge improvement in anxious thoughts and sleep. Made this product a must have. Decided to get the bigger box since I take 2/night. The bigger box pills were a different color, lighter red almost orange/red, and my sleep quality has decreased and anxiety/mood has also taken a tole. This box seems defective. I ordered 2 of the small 30 ct boxes instead.

I've tried a number of supplements for my anxiety, and am choosing to review those that actually work. This is one of them, and possibly has the strongest effect on my anxiety of all the products I've tried (I'd put this a tier above ashwagandha and theanine, which both work great. I'd put those supplements a tier above passionflower, lemon balm, valerian root and chamomile, which also work pretty well, though with less noticeable effect). With this, you get the lavender burps for a bit, which is annoying at first, becomes tolerable, and then almost becomes enjoyable as your mind makes the association between that taste, and lessened anxiety. I've also noticed a meal (or even a good snack) right after taking it will help minimize or even eliminate the aftertaste. As far as effect - there have been studies that lavender extract is as affective as xanax and other benzos. In my experience, this is relatively accurate, though if you are currently taking any benzo, I doubt you'd be able to make the switch and get effects (talk to your doctor about weening off and maybe implementing this). I once took clonezepam for years, and this is definitely close in effectiveness in regards to ridding me of my general anxiety, though I'm going to assume it would not work for panic attacks all that well. It doesn't give you the same brain fog, and it not addictive, either. However, if you are seeing the word "benzos," and thinking this might be a good time, I can promise you, you will not get any kind of recreation out of it. But for those, like me, who suffer from (sometimes debilitating) anxiety, this stuff absolutely has an effect. It's worth a shot! For me, it is now a part of my regime.

Calm Aid works well and was recommended by my doctor. I do feel like it helps, but the aftertaste is extremely strong. The lavender flavor is so noticeable that it honestly makes it hard for me to enjoy taking it. The product itself works, but the taste is the biggest downside for me. I wish there was a version with a milder flavor. Calm Aid works well, but the strong lavender aftertaste makes it difficult to enjoy.

I love this product. When I awaken in the middle of the night, I take one capsule, and before long, I'm sleeping peacefully. It calms me.

Update after 2 months: still nothing. Nada. Zero change in my sleep. So for me these are a 1-star. Your sleep issues might be different and you could love them - I’m just reporting what happened on my end. I was desperate, did my research & was sure these would work. They didn’t. Maybe they just take longer, but they’re pretty expensive to sit around waiting on. So, horrific sleep quality, mood, well it's been better...but that's when I sleep, & weight loss… I didn’t even know that was supposed to be a thing with these, but that hasn’t happened either. They are easy to swallow, I’ll give them that & I like the purple packaging. I originally gave this 3 stars because I thought maybe they just needed more time. Two months later, still nothing, so I’m dropping it. Funny side note: I was sold on these lavender oil supplements. I just knew they were going to work. They didn't. I was hopeless, & given some sleep patches? I thought those were a load of… well, I figured what do I have to lose (yes, that was the desperation). And wow. Just wow. Those actually worked for me, I think the ingredients are hops, melatonin, Valerian, and camomile.

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.