The idea of considering a herbal remedy for depression has gained popularity in recent years. This comes as no surprise due to the side effect risks that accompany all current prescription medication options. Examples of convention treatments with notable side effect risks are SSRI’s, Tricyclics, MAO inhibitors, mood stabilizers, hormone therapy, sedating medications, and stimulant medications. Most of these medications have been around for over 20 years leading one to ask why the sudden change in public opinion after such as long time.
Perhaps the reason has to do with how to do with the availability of information. After all, today we have information available at our finger tips where when many of these drugs were first introduced into the market your only way to find out about side effects would have been by asking your doctor or finding out the hard way by actually experiencing them. Nevertheless, a change has occurred and hopefully the information we have gathered will help you find a herbal remedy for depression that is side effect free and will truly help with your depression.
The first step in finding a herbal remedy for depression is to make sure it is safe. You may believe that taking herbs for depression is a relatively safe pursuit, and in many ways you would be right, except in a few instances including drug interactions. Many of the most popular herbs found in many of the most popular depression natural remedies such as St.John’s wort react adversely to depression medications such as MAOI’s and SSRI’s. Additionally, birth control pills and blood thinning agents are often times problematic. Just to be safe you should ask your doctor for a list of drug interactions if you are contemplating a herbal remedy for depression.
Once you get the green light looking for beneficial ingredients is the next step. The depression natural remedy most often talked about and studied is St. John’s wort. A number of double blind studies have shown this herb to have significant benefits, in some cases rivaling prescription antidepressants. It also seem to have a detoxifying effect on the body as well which may or may not be associated with depression relief.
Another herb that could be helpful is passionflower. Passionflower is known for its anti-anxiety benefits. The reason anxiety is important in our fight against depression is that prolonged or frequent bouts of anxiety often lead to depression. If you tend to get really stressed out, only to collapse under the pressure into a depressive state then a herb like passionflower might help you more than an anti-depressant herb.
There are other herbs considered by natural health advocates to be helpful for depression and anxiety but simply don’t have the science behind them to either support or rule out their efficacy. This list would include basil, black hellebore, clove, ginger, kava, oat straw, rosemary, sage, thyme, and valerian. Note: Kava is not sold in the United States and pay pose substantial health risks.
What Next? Finding a safe and effective herball remedy for depression should be your top priority. Herbal remedies which are able to harness the power of St.John’s wort and passionflower are generally considered to be the most effective and can be used both as a standalone treatment, or when called for, in combination with other non-prescription therapies for maximum impact. Also, depression natural remedies vary greatly depending on the quality of ingredients and the manufacturing process; so quality is an important consideration.
Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years
experience in the field of natural health and wellness.
Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at
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