Best ingredients for stress

A chelated form of magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine.

Typical: 200–350 mg

A branded, root-only ashwagandha extract standardized to at least 5% withanolides.

Typical: 300–600 mg

A generic, non-branded ashwagandha root extract standardized to at least 5% withanolides.

Typical: 300–600 mg

An amino acid found naturally in green tea that promotes a calm, focused state without sedation.

Typical: 100–200 mg

A conditionally essential amino acid that serves as the direct precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.

Typical: 500–2,000 mg

Reishi is a woody polypore used for centuries in East Asian herbal traditions and now sold mainly as a hot-water or dual extract of the fruiting body.

Typical: 1,000–1,500 mg

A root extract from an arctic and alpine plant, standardized to rosavins and salidroside, that is used in energy, focus, and stress formulas.

Typical: 200–600 mg

A branded water-extracted ashwagandha made from both leaf and root and standardized to a minimum of 10% withanolide glycosides, which lets it work at a smaller dose than root-only extracts.

Typical: 125–250 mg

The immediate precursor to serotonin, extracted commercially from Griffonia simplicifolia seeds.

Typical: 50–300 mg

An extract of German chamomile flowers standardized to apigenin, the flavone behind much of its calming reputation.

Typical: 220–1,100 mg

The brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter, sold as a supplement for relaxation and sleep.

Typical: 100–500 mg

A root extract from a Southeast Asian shrub used in men's vitality, stress, and libido formulas.

Typical: 200–400 mg

An extract of a creeping wetland herb from traditional Indian practice, standardized to bacosides, that is one of the better-studied botanical nootropics for memory.

Typical: 300–450 mg

An essential amino acid and the dietary precursor to serotonin and melatonin.

Typical: 500–2,000 mg

A magnesium salt of L-threonic acid, a vitamin C metabolite, developed at MIT as a form that raises brain magnesium in animal models.

Typical: 100–144 mg

An essential amino acid that is limiting in grain-based diets and is needed for collagen cross-linking, carnitine synthesis, and calcium handling.

Typical: 1,000–3,000 mg

A root extract of valerian standardized to valerenic acids, one of the oldest and most widely sold herbal sleep aids.

Typical: 300–600 mg

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid concentrated in neuronal membranes where it supports receptor function, neurotransmitter release, and signaling.

Typical: 100–300 mg

A leaf extract of lemon balm, a mint-family herb with a citrus aroma, used in calming, sleep, and focus formulas.

Typical: 300–600 mg

An extract of the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, the world's most expensive spice, standardized to crocins or safranal and used in mood, appetite, and eye formulas.

Typical: 30 mg

An extract of the flowering tops of Hypericum perforatum standardized to hypericin and often hyperforin, the most studied botanical for mood.

Typical: 600–900 mg

An acetylated form of tyrosine marketed for better water solubility than plain L-tyrosine, which makes it convenient in ready-to-drink and powder formulas.

Typical: 350–1,000 mg

A branded saffron stigma extract standardized to 3.5% Lepticrosalides, a marker fraction of crocins and safranal, developed for low-dose mood formulas.

Typical: 28 mg

An extract of the aerial parts of Passiflora incarnata, a climbing vine used in calming and sleep formulas.

Typical: 250–500 mg

The root of a ginseng species native to North America, used in focus and calm-energy formulas.

Typical: 200–400 mg

A leaf extract of tulsi, an aromatic basil revered in Ayurvedic tradition and used in modern formulas as a gentle adaptogen for stress and metabolic balance.

Typical: 300–1,000 mg

An extract of the root of a Pacific Island pepper plant, traditionally prepared as a ceremonial drink and now used in relaxation and stress formulas.

Typical: 120–240 mg

A shrub root from Siberia and northern Asia, marketed for decades as Siberian ginseng even though it is not a true Panax species.

Typical: 300–1,200 mg

A non-protein amino acid central to the urea cycle, where it helps clear ammonia produced during exercise and protein metabolism.

Typical: 400–2,000 mg

A complex of magnesium with the amino acid taurine, chosen for cardiovascular and calming formulas because both components are studied in relation to blood pressure and nervous-system excitability.

Typical: 100–300 mg

An extract of the cone-like flowers of the hop plant, the same botanical used to flavor beer, included in sleep formulas for its sedative tradition.

Typical: 100–300 mg

An extract of the berries of a woody vine native to northern China and Korea, prized in traditional practice as a five-flavor tonic and used in modern adaptogen, liver, and endurance formulas.

Typical: 500–1,000 mg

Apigenin is a flavone found in chamomile, parsley, and celery and is considered the main calming constituent of chamomile tea.

Typical: 50 mg