Disclaimer: Medications, Supplements and Other Substances in Withdrawal

Would like to open a discussion here about Lavender.

I noticed myself that at times of severe emotional symptoms, Lavender can be used for relaxation, Although you should be cautious if it's good for you or not, as it can affect multiple receptors (GABA-A, NMDA, SERT, H-3), so perhaps use it only when needed, instead of a benzo, I am inclined to believe this doesn't cause nearly as many issues as benzos, but you should always be cautious with using herbs/supplements.

Lavender tea can help me personally, I make tea with a fourth/third teaspoon of Lavender when I'm very much severely distressed and freaked out, and it calms me down for a bit.

I also have been using Silexan (Which is Levander Oil Medicine grade) for 2 years at night time, it's the only thing that stopped me getting nightmares due to all past and childhood traumas, and I'm not intending to stop it.

SA Thread

Feel free to comment your experiences/opinions.

Edited September 14Sep 14 by Lighty

5 hours ago, Lighty said:

Disclaimer: Medications, Supplements and Other Substances in Withdrawal

Would like to open a discussion here about Lavender.

I noticed myself that at times of severe emotional symptoms, Lavender can be used for relaxation, Although you should be cautious if it's good for you or not, as it can affect multiple receptors (GABA-A, NMDA, SERT, H-3), so perhaps use it only when needed, instead of a benzo, I am inclined to believe this doesn't cause nearly as many issues as benzos, but you should always be cautious with using herbs/supplements.

Lavender tea can help me personally, I make tea with a fourth/third teaspoon of Lavender when I'm very much severely distressed and freaked out, and it calms me down for a bit.

I also have been using Silexan (Which is Levander Oil Medicine grade) for 2 years at night time, it's the only thing that stopped me getting nightmares due to all past and childhood traumas, and I'm not intending to stop it.

SA Thread

Feel free to comment your experiences/opinions.

I agree Lavender is great. I drank lavender tea every night at the start of my journey. But word of caution, lavender can interact with some medicines, Sertraline being one. Or so Google told me. So I stopped but as soon as im free of these meds im 100% going back to the lavender lol its so good.

15 minutes ago, cherrysquid said:

I agree Lavender is great. I drank lavender tea every night at the start of my journey. But word of caution, lavender can interact with some medicines, Sertraline being one. Or so Google told me. So I stopped but as soon as im free of these meds im 100% going back to the lavender lol its so good.

Which is why I always say go low with the dosage, don't take high doses of lavender but only make a bit of tea at time of crisis, that low amount does an insane difference at times of crisis with my experience.

Edited September 14Sep 14 by Lighty

I know many have benefited by using it. Unfortunately it fully activated me...I drank an organic lavender tea. Then even smelling it when my husband had one, caused me anxiety.

Celebration Herbals Organic Lavender Flowers – Organic, Kosher (24 teabags - 17g) | Lavandula angustifolia Herbal Tea | Floral and Delicate, Valued in Herbal Traditions : Amazon.ca: Grocery & Gourmet Food https://share.google/7stgdsW2GlohvmpvS

Edited September 14Sep 14 by LostinCanada

20 minutes ago, LostinCanada said:

I know many have benefited by using it. Unfortunately it fully activated me...I drank an organic lavender tea. Then even smelling it when my husband had, one cause me anxiety.

Celebration Herbals Organic Lavender Flowers – Organic, Kosher (24 teabags - 17g) | Lavandula angustifolia Herbal Tea | Floral and Delicate, Valued in Herbal Traditions : Amazon.ca: Grocery & Gourmet Food https://share.google/7stgdsW2GlohvmpvS

that's interesting to know, but can make sense.

Also I would generally always prefer buying dried whole flowers and then putting a bit in a strainer and making the tea that way, rather than tea bags, more cost efficient and also tea bags can be bleached and contain unwanted ingredients that go into the tea from the teabag material.

I got this personally: https://iherb.com/pr/frontier-co-op-whole-lavender-flowers-16-oz-453-g/30717

I specifically researched that brand's tea bag previously:

Celebration Herbals makes an organic lavender flower tea packaged in pure, microplastic-free filter paper that uses oxygen bleaching instead of chlorine bleach. [1] (https://www.amazon.ca/Celebration-Herbals-Lavender-Flowers-Organic/dp/B001W3FJ0K)Product DetailsIngredients: 100% pure organic lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia) with no flavorings, preservatives, or sweeteners.Tea Bag Material: Made from 100% cellulose fibers sealed with heat and pressure, meaning no glue additives, synthetic fibers, or microplastics are used.Bleaching Method: The filter paper is oxygen bleached rather than chlorine bleached

@LostinCanada Do you have any chance to try fresh-from-the-garden lavender tea? Try it.

What has been described by you for me sounds more like chemical sensitivity rather than anxiety triggered by lavender's natural ingredients.

I heard stories like "I smelled coffee and it caused me anxiety too."

I get pacing and tremors and shortness a breath immediately after smelling something like perfume or chlorine or hand sanitizer.

On the other hand smelling things like rosemary or lavender or thyme on someone's garden makes me sedated just by smelling.

And food is an another big issue, because I was getting shortness of breath immediately after eating. Then I was trying organic brands or farms and name any food item, say coffee, for me organic was better anytime, however organic coffee 1 was not the same as organic coffee 2. And when it comes to any other food item, it's the same sheet.

I believe you 100% that you got anxiety, but probably not because of natural ingredients. Linalool, one lavender's volatile metabolite is sedative. So, yes, just because it was organic, it doesn't mean chemical free. But it's still much much better to choose any organic item.

10 minutes ago, The Dust said:

@LostinCanada Do you have any chance to try fresh-from-the-garden lavender tea? Try it.

What has been described by you for me sounds more like chemical sensitivity rather than anxiety triggered by lavender's natural ingredients.

I heard stories like "I smelled coffee and it caused me anxiety too."

I get pacing and tremors and shortness a breath immediately after smelling something like perfume or chlorine or hand sanitizer.

On the other hand smelling things like rosemary or lavender or thyme on someone's garden makes me sedated just by smelling.

And food is an another big issue, because I was getting shortness of breath immediately after eating. Then I was trying organic brands or farms and name any food item, say coffee, for me organic was better anytime, however organic coffee 1 was not the same as organic coffee 2. And when it comes to any other food item, it's the same sheet.

I believe you 100% that you got anxiety, but probably not because of natural ingredients. Linalool, one lavender's volatile metabolite is sedative. So, yes, just because it was organic, it doesn't mean chemical free. But it's still much much better to choose any organic item.

I would have to disagree, doesn't have to be the teabag (maybe it is), it could have been a sensitivity to any serotonin receptor reaction (or any other receptor for the matter, you can have paradoxical reactions to things), which Lavender does trigger.

Different people have different sensitivities.

Edited September 14Sep 14 by Lighty

@Lighty I didn't even mean it's because of tea bags. In general it could be if the bag is blenched with chlorine. But @LostinCanada mentioned that the bag was safe.

It's hard to say what it was, but these smell sensitivities have been reported well and they are real sheet. And usually these smell sensitivities are related to artificial sheets.

The best way to check it is to try lavender, or anything else from the nature or natural conditions. After all it could be natural ingredient too. For me smelling basil from a garden acts somehow stimulative but in a good way,

41 minutes ago, The Dust said:

Do you have any chance to try fresh-from-the-garden lavender tea? Try it.

I used that about 2 years ago and it did nothing.

It is not uncommon for some of us to have paradoxical reactions .

I recently reacted to organic dates. Paroxetine affects histamine receptors and so many other enzymes, etc that I need to stick to things that I know don't give me issues....it just isn't worth the wave and extra hold.

@LostinCanada What do you mean by doing it nothing? No reaction?

3 minutes ago, The Dust said:

@LostinCanada What do you mean by doing it nothing? No reaction?

No calming relief and now it is paradoxical.

@The Dust

On 9/14/2026 at 9:15 PM, The Dust said:

@LostinCanada Do you have any chance to try fresh-from-the-garden lavender tea? Try it.

What has been described by you for me sounds more like chemical sensitivity rather than anxiety triggered by lavender's natural ingredients.

I heard stories like "I smelled coffee and it caused me anxiety too."

I get pacing and tremors and shortness a breath immediately after smelling something like perfume or chlorine or hand sanitizer.

On the other hand smelling things like rosemary or lavender or thyme on someone's garden makes me sedated just by smelling.

And food is an another big issue, because I was getting shortness of breath immediately after eating. Then I was trying organic brands or farms and name any food item, say coffee, for me organic was better anytime, however organic coffee 1 was not the same as organic coffee 2. And when it comes to any other food item, it's the same sheet.

I believe you 100% that you got anxiety, but probably not because of natural ingredients. Linalool, one lavender's volatile metabolite is sedative. So, yes, just because it was organic, it doesn't mean chemical free. But it's still much much better to choose any organic item.

'I get pacing and tremors and shortness a breath immediately after smelling something like perfume or chlorine or hand sanitizer.'

Is that WD connected in your case? I have the same and I think it is long covid connected, I got it after a covid infection last year while tapering...... could it be connected to the taper at that time? Even if I was only one a very low dose like 0,1 mg of celexa. Or connected to covid and wd? What are your thoughts?

Well, broadly speaking in my case this chemically sensitivity is related to WD, but it apeared with delay. immediately after my quick taper (practically CT) nothing happened related to this. About 6 years later this chemical sensitives became harder and chemical sensitivity induced pacing appeared. Especially after eating.

Thanks for sharing that you saw this during covid infection. As I know symptoms of long covid and symthoms of psych drug adverse effect has already been recognized and I believe that these two apparently different backgrounds can lead to similar issues at the end. Probably somehow related to immune response. But still in your case it's hard to distinguish if it's related just to WD or covid or both.

In general, there have been done enough reports that show clear relation between chemical sensitivity and psych drug history.

Edited September 15Sep 15 by The Dust