What works, what does not, and what is dangerous. Reviewed by the Scan Dose Research Team.
Effective Dose
Key Finding
PMID
200-400mg daily
Reduces stress and anxiety without sedation. Found in green tea.
PMID: 30580081
300-600mg standardized extract daily
Reduces cortisol by 23-30%. Reduces self-reported anxiety. 62% of products fail testing — use NOW or Nature's Way only.
PMID: 23439798
200-400mg glycinate
Low magnesium associated with anxiety. Correcting deficiency helps.
PMID: 28445426
1-2g EPA/day
Reduces anxiety symptoms, especially in people with clinical anxiety.
PMID: 29806889
Supplement
Why It Fails
Kava
Does NOT work for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Can cause severe liver damage. Banned or restricted in 14 countries.
CBD (for anxiety)
Mixed evidence. Some benefit at high doses but inconsistent.
St. John's Wort for anxiety
Better evidence for mild depression. Not proven for anxiety. Massive drug interactions.
Risk
Serotonin syndrome (potentially fatal)
Liver failure
Additive sedation
Serotonin syndrome