Panic Disorder and Linden

Linden flowers have a pleasant, tangy taste, and for this reason the tree is sometimes called “lime flower.” Besides use in beverages and liqueurs, linden flower has a long history of medicinal use for such conditions as colds and flus, digestive distress, anxiety (as is present in panic disorder), migraine headaches, and insomnia. The wood of the linden tree has been used for liver problems, kidney stones, and gout.

Linden flowers are used to treat various ailments including anxiety, which of course is a major symptom of panic disorder. (Interestingly, Linden wood is also used for medicinal purposes but not for the treatment of anxiety.)

Read more details about Linden.

Two exceedingly preliminary studies that evaluated linden flower for potential sedative or anti-anxiety effects returned contradictory results.^49,50

Safety Issues

Linden is widely believed to be a safe herb, but it has not undergone comprehensive safety testing. Numerous texts state that when taken in high doses linden can be toxic to the heart, but this appears to have been a case of authors quoting one another for decades in succession; the original source of this concern is unclear. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.

49. Viola H, Wolfman C, Levi de Stein M, et al. Isolation of pharmacologically active benzodiazepine receptor ligands from Tilia tomentosa (Tiliaceae). J Ethnopharmacol. 1994;44:47-53.

50. Coleta M, Campos MG, Cotrim MD, et al. Comparative evaluation of Melissa officinalis L., Tilia europaea L., Passiflora edulis Sims. and Hypericum perforatum L. in the elevated plus maze anxiety test. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2001;34(suppl 1):S20-S21.