Anxiety: What It Is, the GABA-Glutamate Balance, and Natural Calm

What is anxiety

If you are looking for the answer to this question, you have probably already met the shadow of anxiety personally. Although the state is not hard to define, it is far more important to understand its origin. Once we grasp what drives anxiety, we can find natural ways to restore inner calm — that sense of ease many of us remember from childhood, when the world did not yet seem so complicated. Our neurological balance often shifts very slowly. It is a process lasting years, so the changes are hard to notice. Most often we only reflect on it when sharp panic attacks strike, or when everyday life becomes wrapped in constant unease.

The variety of anxiety disorders

It is important to understand that anxiety is not one single state — it is a whole group of different disorders. It includes panic attacks, social anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias and, perhaps the most common, generalized anxiety disorder. Although the diagnoses differ, they share a common denominator: an exhausting feeling of fear and insecurity. Anxiety affects between 2.5% and 7% of people, varying by country.²

Why does anxiety arise?

Proper brain function depends on the balance of two neurotransmitters (information carriers). This system regulates itself through two main forces — imagine a scale always seeking balance.⁸ The two key neurotransmitters are glutamate and GABA, which act in opposition: glutamate excites,⁹ while GABA inhibits.¹⁰ This creates our mental equilibrium. When glutamate dominates over GABA, the result is the over-activated, restless state we experience as anxiety.

What raises anxiety (glutamate) in your brain

To manage anxiety, it is not enough to add new habits — first you need to remove what constantly stimulates your nervous system. The main goal: balance glutamate (the stimulating neurotransmitter) and GABA (the calming one). What to give up or strongly limit: Sugar and fast carbohydrates — sweets, baked goods, sugary drinks and even an excess of sweet fruit cause sharp insulin spikes that directly affect mood swings.¹⁴ Excess stimulants, poor sleep and chronic stress also keep glutamate elevated. The tip: get vitamins and minerals far more effectively from dark leafy greens.

How to restore calm: activating GABA

If glutamate is the brain's "accelerator," then GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is its "brakes." To overcome anxiety, we need to activate these brakes — through lifestyle changes and nature-made substances. A ketogenic diet helps fight anxiety and increases GABA,⁵³ so for those following this low-carbohydrate plan it not only helps manage anxiety but also improves memory and cognitive function. More and more specialists recommend dietary correction as the first step before chemical treatment.⁵⁴

Natural compounds for anxiety

If lifestyle changes are not enough, nature offers two powerful active compounds that can rival medications in effectiveness, without their side effects. There is sufficient research to form a picture of their impressive effect on the brain, so using both together is suggested for those who want to balance brain activity and live calmly amid the enormous information flow of everyday life. These are the flavonoid vitexin and the medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane).

Vitexin — nature's pulse of calm

From mung beans to buckwheat, vitexin is an antioxidant found in many plants, used as a medicine across continents since ancient times.⁶⁴ This flavonoid, placed under the scientists' magnifying glass, genuinely surprised researchers with its very broad pharmacological effect.⁶⁵ Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are studied, along with neuroprotective, anti-spasm and other properties.⁶⁶ Scientifically, vitexin is classified as an apigenin flavone glycoside, found in bamboo leaves, passionflower, buckwheat, lavender, mung beans and many more. But eating these foods is not enough to obtain a meaningful amount — strong, specific extracts are needed. Vitexin is studied for acting through the GABA-A receptor pathway in a way comparable to benzodiazepines, but as a modulator rather than a suppressor — which is why it is studied for reducing anxiety without sedation or dependence risk.

Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane) — the brain regenerator

H. erinaceus is a medicinal mushroom of especially rare effect, titled the "brain mushroom." Its extract is studied as particularly suited to feelings of anxiety. Neuroregeneration: it is studied for stimulating nerve growth factor (NGF) — in human neuron samples, this mushroom's extract effectively increased neurite outgrowth by 60.6%.⁸⁶ Research also examines its role in supporting mood and cognitive function. The right extract type, amount and strength matter for effect.