What natural cures are available for Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia?

SAD isn’t going to go away through medication (natural or otherwise)—you’re going to have to put in real work in a therapeutic setting. Cognative Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been very effective in treating SAD, as it works on changing the cognitions that lead to the behaviors. Wherever you are, there should be trained practitioners of CBT.

St.John’s Wort

I agree that therapy is the road to understanding the fears behind the phobia. But more than intellectually understanding, you have to really go back to the time these things began, identify the source—what happened at the time—and confront it. Since it is likely very very upsetting and scary, this is very hard work. Some people spend their whole lives running—never really stopping to figure out why. The good thing is it is usually rooted in some childhood problem, and the fears as a child at the time are much reduced when seen from the light of adulthood. But getting there can be very challenging and difficult—years have been spent hiding the “truth.” But when opened to the air, the world will change.

moonshine

Something that was explained to me in dealing with the issue was what NOT to take. That is to say there are certain things that antagonize the issues, caffeine for one. I am afraid I cannot recall any more at this time.

Alcohol!!! :)

I’m joking… kinda of… I’ve been known to have a drink or two before going somewhere that requires me to be especially social able i.e. weddings, birthdays, etc… I know some haters will say this makes me an alcoholic but being that I have on average 2–3 drinks a months I would disagree. The US seems to really demonize alcohol but embrace taking synthetic chemicals that alter the brain’s chemistry.

Get yourself out there in spite of your fear.

If there was anything natural that worked some dumb ass would make it illegal.
Beta blockers, and Xanax is what a Dr. would give you. That won’t cure anything, but it helps short term.

great escape, you dont have to get drunk every day or even drink every day to be an alcoholic
as long as you are using it as a drug,to feel better, or to cover up, to if you think it is helping you and you don’t know if you could do osmething without it. YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.
Ask an Alcoholics anonymous member

@Laniee – amen to that. and welcome to fluther.

I have found a great site called wiki.how that has articles with tips and ideas.

They call it liquid courage or alcohol.

Self-esteem.

My anxiety mostly goes away when I eat one or two sesame snaps. They are just sesame seeds pressed in honey.