Is magnesium an anti-stress substance? What are some others?

Magnesium helps muscles relax, so it is sometimes used to relief stress from muscular tension.

Magnesium is not particularly an anti-stress substance. It's an essential metal ion for many biological functions. When taken orally, it's a middling-potent laxative.

Stress is a bit of a nebulous term in medicine. By stress, many people mean anxiety, in which case benzodiazepine tranquilizers and the old-school barbiturates are anxiolytic.

Magnesium helps to relax muscles, but has no specific stress relief effect. B group vitamins helpful, relaxing tea mixes usually heavily chamomile based, would help. But let me ask you what is the cause of your stress? Is it something that you are not in control of, like interest rates impacting on your finances, or somebody picking on you, and you cannot do anything about it? If the answer is yes, then do not stress about it, IT WILL NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IF YOU GO OUT OF YOUR MIND WITH WORRY OR STRESSING YOURSELF OUT!!!! Just take one step at the time, and you will survive the difficult time.

If it is something you can do about, like you are in a relationship that stresses you out, then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, AND THAT WILL BE THE END OF YOUR STRESS.

Keep yourself as healthy as possible, and make sure you have enough sleep, if you have difficulty to fall asleep, get a boring book (almost any textbook would do) and read till you cannot keep your eyes open. Almost every stressful situation will pass on, the trick is to figure out if you have any control over the situation. Once you figured this out, go back to the beginning, and read this again.

It helps with relaxation.
Lemon balm in tea or capsules will help to ease nervous stomach
aromatherapy-lavender
warm bath with epsom salts
valerian root
st. john's wort-don't take this without a doctor
vitamin b complex
pantothenic acid
chamomile-unless you have allergies to ragweed
kava kava
ginseng
gotu kola

Be very careful with herbs. Some combinations can make you sick. See a natural doctor for the proper combination of herbs.

benzo's?