Stress is the bane of modern living - we all suffer from it. Here, we've picked ten non-prescription anti-stress supplements and treatments which all work in different ways to soothe frazzled nerves.

These are all gentle approaches, but always check with your doctor before starting any course of supplements - some shouldn't be used in pregnancy, or if you're taking other medicines, for instance. See your GP, too, if you're depressed or suffering from anxiety.

By Olivia Gordon

What to try: Quiet Life, £2.49 for 50, or Kalms, £4.49 for 100, from supermarkets, chemists and health food shops or www.yourhealthfoodstore.co.uk

Active ingredients: Valerian, hops, gentian and, in Quiet Life, passiflora instead of gentian and added B vitamins

How it works: Valerian, hops, gentian and passiflora are all natural plants traditionally used for their tonic or gently calming properties, in particular in combination as a remedy for anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. The B vitamins top up any B vitamin deficiency you may have, which can be a cause of nervous symptoms.

How to use it: Take two tablets two to three times a day when you're feeling stressed, or take two at night if you're unable to sleep.

What to try: Kerstin Florian Aromatherapy Calm Mind (£23.50 from www.kerstinflorian.co.uk); Aroma Therapeutics Sleep Enhancer, £5.95 for 10ml from www.aromalifestyle.com; Tisserand De-Stress massage oil (£7.95); pure essential oils of benzoin; camomile; geranium, frankincense, sandalwood and lavender (from £4.90 - £18 each); available at chemists, health food shops and www.tisserand.com;

Active ingredients: Calm Mind contains lavender, peppermint, star anise, marjoram and cajaput oils; Sleep Enhancer contains petitgrain, ylang ylang, sandalwood, vetivert, lavender and galbanum oils; De-Stress massage oil contains lavender, marjoram and mandarin oils.

How it works: Many plants have different medicinal benefits and certain plant essential oils, contained in these sweet-scented aromatherapy blends, help calm and nurture emotions. You can also try individual oils - each has unique properties. Try benzoin or camomile for deep rest, geranium to soothe and comfort, frankincense for inner peace and clarity, and lavender or sandalwood for all-round emotional balance.

How to use it: Calm Mind can be carried wherever you go - simply dot it onto your temples, sinuses or pulse points when things get too much.  The Sleep Enhancer is sprayed onto your pillow. Use a few drops of one or a combination of the individual essential oils in your bath, vaporiser, blended with sweet almond oil as a massage oil or sprinkled on your pillow, and try the massage oil after a bath.

What to try: Pharmaton capsules, £8.80 for 30 from chemists and health food shops or www.pharmaton.co.uk

Active ingredients: Extracts of the root of the Panax ginseng plant, plus a blend of essential vitamins and minerals

How it works: Ginseng is a revitalising plant which has long been said to increase the mind's resistance to stress, raise energy levels and combat that ‘worn out, run down' feeling. The vitamins and minerals add to its strength as an all-round daily supplement.

How to use it: Take one capsule a day for up to 12 weeks.

What to try: Serenitea; Tranquillitea & Whole Camomile Flowers tea, £5-6 for 100g from www.wearetea.com; or Relax Tea, £2.09 for 20 sachets from www.pukkaherbs.com

Active ingredients: Serenitea contains a calming blend of green tea, tulsi, apple, melissa, orange peel, lemongrass, lime blossom, lemon verbena, marigold and mallow tealeaves; Tranquillitea is a blend of rooibos, tulsi, melissa, lemon verbena, hop leaves, aniseed, fennel, peppermint and licorice for promoting sleep; whole camomile flower tea has a gentle sedative effect, and organic Relax tea contains camomile, gotu kola leaf,  marshmallow root, ashwagandha, fennel, ginger, cardamom and licorice for all-round maximum relaxation.

How it works: Drinking tea made from plants with soothing properties is a super-simple way to relax - the equivalent of a shoulder to cry on after a hard day. Of course, a few biscuits with your tea makes it all the nicer! Ingredients like tulsi and ashwagandha are plants used in the Ayurvedic tradition as tonics for the nervous system, while gotu kola leaf is an Asian plant prized for promoting for mental clarity. Camomile, cardamom, rooibos, lemon verbena, hop leaves and licorice are all linked with calming stress, while marshmallow root is said to build the immune system and fennel and ginger soothe digestion.

How to use it: Just make your cuppa and you're away.

What to try: Rescue Remedy, £5.15 for 10ml dropper bottle or 7ml spray, from chemists or www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com

Active ingredients:Rescue Remedy is a blend of five flower essences in grape alcohol: rock rose for terror and panic, impatiens for irritation and impatience, clematis for inattentiveness and a lack of focus, star of Bethlehem for shock, and cherry plum for irrational thoughts and a lack of self control. You could also try individual Bach flower remedies, all of which have different properties for helping all sorts of emotional states. Try the Bach remedy chooser.

How it works: Invented in the 1920s by Dr Edward Bach, the flower remedies system uses tinctures of 38 flower essences which are believed to rebalance emotions harmoniously.

How to use it: Whenever you feel stressed, drop 4 drops onto the tongue or into a glass of water and sip at intervals, or if you use the spray, spray twice onto the tongue.

What to try: Happy Days 5-HTP, £11.95 for 60 tablets from www.healthspan.co.uk

Active ingredients: 5-hydroxy-tryptophan (5-HTP) - an amino acid made in the body and converted into serotonin, a brain chemical messenger crucial for good mood-levels; combined with other vitamins and minerals to help convert the 5-HTP into serotonin.

How it works: Supplementing your diet with 5-HTP is said to help maintain the levels of serotonin in your brain and is used by many people to gently lift mood to help deal better with stress, reduce anxiety and induce normal sleep.

How to use it: One tablet at night-time to begin with, increasing to three tablets a day if needed, for a three-month course.

What to try: Equilibrium, £9.99 for 14 capsules from Boots or www.boots.com

Active ingredients: Lactium is a newly patented substance made from milk protein, which, it's claimed, can help reduce everyday tension. These capsules also contain B vitamins, magnesium and vitamin C, which help to support a healthy immune system and energy levels.

How it works: Lactium stimulates the activity of Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA), a neuro-transmitter known to inhibit anxiety and the stress response in the brain. Lactium is found in milk but you'd need to drink huge amounts to get the benefit.

How to use it: Take one capsule a day

What to try: St John's Wort tablets, £4.95 for 120 from www.healthspan.co.uk

Active ingredients: Each tablet contains 900mcg of Hypericin, the active ingredient in the St John's Wort plant

How it works: Often described as the ‘sunshine herb', St John's Wort is a traditional herbal antidepressant popular for treating mild depression and anxiety. Its active ingredient, hypericin, is believed to increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for happiness.

How to use it: Swallow one tablet daily.

What to try: Vitano, £12.99 for 30 tablets from Boots or www.vitano.co.uk

Active ingredients: 200mg of rhodiola rosea root extract.

How it works: Rhodiola rosea is a traditionally thought to combat fatigue and increase mental performance - particularly the ability to concentrate - and to lower stress and anxiety. It's been found to help people suffering from exhaustion-related burnout.

How to use it: Take one tablet twice daily, 30 minutes before breakfast and lunch.

What to try: Kalms lozenges, £2.99 from chemists and supermarkets or www.yourhealthfoodstore.co.uk

Active ingredients: Lemon balm

How it works: Lemon balm, also known as melissa, is a Mediterranean herb renowned for its soothing and revitalising properties. These gentle lozenges are just like cough sweets, except they're for stress instead of a cough!

How to use it: Just pop one of these sweet, citrus-flavoured lozenges in your mouth any time you're feeling under the weather.