Are there any natural, herbal remedies for depression?
Posted on July 30th, 2009 by admin
I realize I do need medication, but I am very hesitant about putting all those chemicals in my body, and I despise the pharmaceutical industry. I know there are lots of herbal remedies out there for helping with other ailments, but those are more physical then mental. Help?
The only natural things I can suggest are: meditating, music, weed, friends, and nature. Other than that, there’s not many natural ailments to be found. Good luck with your depression, and the answer usually can always be found within our selves, really.
St. John’s wort
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zinc.
However… depression is usually caused by a number of things. If you are inactive, maybe try adding exercise. I know it’s hard. I lived with depression for 3 years. Walking helps a lot.
But depression may also be a sign of a zinc deficiency.
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I’ve been on St. John’s Wort for about 4 weeks now. And unless it is just the placebo effect, I honestly feel a difference. Either way, the bottle is 10 bucks, definitely worth trying.
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I applaud you wanting to use natural methods cuz western medicines are just too dangerous. There is a new energy drink out that is all natural… but it is more of a ‘brain food’ than anything else from what I read. It is called VIV and you buy it at cbb.kiiera.com. So it is interesting the guy I talked to about it says that it is dubbed an energy drink but it actually helps him sleep and relax. Might be worth looking at anyway.
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My aunt is just like you, hates western medicine & looks to nate. That’s all fine when you want aloe for a cut or want to whip up a medicinal tea for your friend, but TAKE REAL MEDICATION FOR DEPRESSION! She was a real pretty, married, partyer with a great life but then she fell into depression and refused western medication. Now she is a chubby, unemployed woman who lives with her dad and her best friend is her dog. My mom also got depression (it runs in our family) but she took medication and was fine until she stopped, when I was just 12 she told me about how she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep on train tracks and have a train run her over (I was traumatized) but she got help and now shes back on the meds and it’s fine.
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The only natural things I can suggest are: meditating, music, weed, friends, and nature. Other than that, there’s not many natural ailments to be found. Good luck with your depression, and the answer usually can always be found within our selves, really.
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SAM-e is available in the States.
Other helpful ones are St John’s Wort and Skullcap and Valerian. Also boosting your Vitamin C and D can be quite helpful. Tyrosine is an amino acid, and can be taken up to six month on an empty stomach. These are best done before bedtime.
Vitamin B deficiency can also cause depression and is quite common. Gotu Kola is also a good herb to try. These are better off in the morning.
Please be warned that just because something is herbal or homoeopathic that it is safe to use. If you are allergic to Ragweed you also might be allergic to Chamomile, for example. Talk to your local homoeopathic expert before trying anything new.
Behavioural therapies can work wonders, too, like exercise and colour therapy and aromatherapy and meditation. Try to see what works for you best.
A bit of research will help. A great book to start with is "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC.
If you still are struggling after a few months of exploring these, you might want to reconsider prescribed medication, though. There are some very mild alternatives out there.
Best of luck to you.
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Perika seems to be the St. John’s Wort formulation that is the most standardized (it was also used in clinical trials). It has less side effects and the side effects manifested are less severe than those for the prescription meds (but do be sure to check out the Summary section in psy.psychiartyonline.org article in my sources for guidelines on taking St. John’s wort). Yet it was found to be more effective than a placebo and at least equally effective as tricyclic antidepressants.
Saffron (several strands boiled in milk or water with a bit of honey before bed time) helps many people. Unfortunately, it is one of the most expensive spices out there so I suggest you buy a little spice jar at a local store and if it works (you don’t need much, 1g jar can last at least a week) then you can order in bulk (1 oz
). Be careful, if you find some really cheap orange threads they are most likely not the real stuff but some colored strands of corn silk or petals of safflower or marigold so be sure to research the source or at least ask for some references before ordering. I had good experience with San Francisco Herb Store (http://www.sfherb.com/) but it looks like their prices have gone up considerably in the last year or so. (Other suppliers’ prices are waay up, too.)
A good source of information (and sometimes support) is at http://www.sjwinfo.org/ – Kelly’s SJW pages for depression. You can ask questions in their Discussion forum and people are usually very helpful answering. It also pays to search the current and archived topics for tips and stories on what worked and what didn’t for different people.
The suggestion to use meditation is an excellent one! If you can drag yourself to any kind of yoga class that can really help to turn the page for you. Also, any kind of exercise (especially outdoors) usally does help with depression. Again, the trick is to find enough strength to make yourself actually do something.
I understand why you are not willing to just jump on the Prozac wagon but therapy without anti-depressants is in most cases more effective than no therapy and no anti-depressants. If you can find a psychologist who will be willing to go the therapy route alone and if your insurance and finances allow it – by all means give it a shot.
Best of luck! Depression is a tough enemy to beat but it is certainly possible and many-many people have done so.
NOgg
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http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=517724
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2234633
http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/44/4/271
Try a product called SAME, (Pronounced Sammy). If you have severe depression, and not just pissed off at the moment, you need proffessional help. It is nothing to be ashamed of and neither is it to be taken lightly.
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