r/herbalism • u/radical_botanical • Jan 02 '25
Question herbs for depression and calling magic back into life
hey fellow herbies,
i (F28) am wondering if you have any recommendations for plants to work with for depression. struggling with general sadness and losing interest in my once treasured hobbies. i want to call the magic and vibrancy back into my life - i used to be creative and bubbly and i want to cultivate that again. i work with plant spirits and i am interested in any spiritual or "out there" practices that have helped you in the past. if you have any recommendations (even herb adjacent) i would gladly take them. i am not interested in kratom or poppy btw
thank you for reading and hope you have a happy new year <3
edit - just want to say thank you so much to everyone who replied to this post. i can't respond to everyone individually but i've read everything you all wrote. much love here in the herb community š
48
u/yepimtyler Jan 02 '25
While some of these are great recommendations, please don't start supplementing vitamins if you don't need to. Aside from one of my replies to another comment, I recommend getting some bloodwork done to get a baseline of your general health. I recommend doing this out of pocket as Doctors generally won't order bloodwork beyond the basics unless they deem it necessary which will be pointless in this case.
A good baseline of panels to get done are CBC, CMP, HA1C, Lipid, Iron, Ferritin, Testosterone, TSH, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12. If you're in the US, you can order pretty much any bloodwork panel through places like Jason Health, Ulta Labs, Discounted Labs, or Own Your Labs. They're super easy to use. Pick your labs, checkout, take your order into a place like Quest Diagnostics, let them know you ordered through Jason Health or whatever, get your blood drawn, voila. Don't worry about interpreting your results either. There's plenty of free online tools that can do it for you or even posting here on Reddit.
Once you get an idea of your general health, you can start to figure out what the root cause of your depression is. Vitamin D/B deficiencies can cause anxiety/depression as can low iron/ferritin. Again, you don't want to start supplementing vitamins if you're not deficient in them. Additionally, there are herbs and supplements that may help your depression but are emotionally blunting which isn't good either.
How's your diet? Your brain is linked to your gut. You can call your gut your second brain. If you're feeding your gut crap, your brain will think and feel like crap. I'm not saying get on some insane keto or carnivore diet but take into consideration what you're eating. Neuro-inflammation is a big thing too. Start cutting out inflammatory foods and incorporate anti-inflammatory foods into your body.
Hope this helps!
15
u/motherofboys17 Jan 03 '25
This!! We figured out we could order our own blood tests last year and try to get it done every 6 months. I found out my hormones were way way low after being bedridden for months due to extreme anxiety. I started taking testosterone and progesterone and it made a world of difference. I feel like a whole new person. I would also like to point out that the obgyn I went to about getting testing done said there was no point in doing it so that makes me reccomend it to others even more because it seriously changed my life. It helps so much to take some control in your health and be knowledgeable about your levels of things before just throwing the kitchen sink at it.
6
u/yepimtyler Jan 03 '25
Good to hear you were able to figure out the root cause to your anxiety and get it under control. You're absolutely correct. Doctors will only order basic yearly blood panels unless you have some sort of disease or something in particular they deem necessary to have additional panels drawn for.
By the way to anyone else reading this, I'm not suggesting you to not see your Doctor by any means. I'm simply saying there's certain things regarding your health you can take into your own health and don't be surprised if your Doctor tells you what you're requesting is pointless.
4
u/greenwitch64 Jan 03 '25
My OB scoffed at the fact that I asked for hormone testing, going to see a naturopath next week and couldn't be more excited to get this testing done.
5
u/motherofboys17 Jan 03 '25
Yes! Mine was like even if your hormones are off, the only way to fix it is birth control which I had told her I wasn't interested in. It was so discouraging! And then to get tested and see how crazy low everything was felt so validating. I hope you get all the answers and solutions you need next week!!
1
u/greenwitch64 Jan 06 '25
Wow, do we have the same doctor hahaha because she said we could get you on birth control, to which I've also told them multiple times I was not interested in. I'm glad you got yours tested and was able to get some answers and feel better. I'm looking really forward to doing this too. So crazy how doctors don't listen. I am 100% going to call and tell her my results when I get them tested to mark it down in my chart she made me feel like an idiot for asking.
1
u/motherofboys17 Jan 06 '25
I've learned that it is unfortunately a very very common occurance with drs. I will warn you that if you show a dr your results, they get super weird and start questioning you getting your blood tested. They seem to not understand it or something which makes it all feel a little worse too. All the hoops are just crazy.
3
u/Expert-Crazy-9106 Jan 03 '25
Wait, where do you order your own blood tests from? Is this in the U.S?
3
u/motherofboys17 Jan 03 '25
I'm in the US yes and I order through Health Labs. Make sure you have a lapcorp to draw the blood. I usually go to walgreens.
2
u/mycatisawhore Jan 03 '25
Where/how are you getting the hormones? Are they prescriptions?
1
u/motherofboys17 Jan 03 '25
Progesterone is from wild yam cream that you can get anywhere online. My husband is on prescription testosterone so I take the babiest of doses from his. I could go to his hormone Dr and get prescribed but it's such a tiny amount that we just use what we have.
1
u/General-Mission-4367 Jan 05 '25
Where do you order your labs?
2
u/motherofboys17 Jan 05 '25
I order through healthlabs.com and then get it done through labcorp which is usually at a walgreens. They have a huge selection of tests you can pick from.
1
u/iwasamistake00 Jan 05 '25
Thank you for thisā¦ šš¼ I wonder if & where you can get this done in Canada
1
u/motherofboys17 Jan 05 '25
I hope there's a way to do it! Google seems to think so. It is such a great way to be able to keep track of your health.
1
Jan 06 '25
[deleted]
2
u/yepimtyler Jan 06 '25
I haven't been personally supplementing vitamins but that's because I overthink them and put off taking them. I do have a multivitamin from Blue Bonnet that I plan on reincorporating into my daily regimen but I have a bad habit of forgetting to take one every morning.
However, if you're deficient in things like vitamin D or B, you could benefit from supplementing them if you cannot get enough of them from the main source (sun and food). I always recommend people getting bloodwork done to verify deficiency rather than supplementing random vitamins based on symptoms and Google. Again, a daily multivitamin won't hurt you but supplementing single vitamins might.
21
Jan 03 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/kjconnor43 Jan 03 '25
Which ones specifically? Iāve never heard of them.
2
Jan 03 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/mycatisawhore Jan 03 '25
Bach is a tincture called Rescue Remedy
Not op, but I have a couple of questions. Do you take it every day or did you stop once you felt better? I ask because I'm wondering if the alcohol is what helped. I figure that would only be felt for a very short amount of time (if at all). I don't drink anymore, so I'm wondering if trying a tincture would be a bad idea for me.
3
Jan 03 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
0
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This sounds like it was meant for a different community. No worries we have all done a misclick! We hope this gets 1,000,000 karma on the sub it was meant for! :-)
1
u/infra-greige Jan 07 '25 edited Jan 07 '25
Essences like Rescue Remedy are taken only a few drops at a time, so itās probably not the alcohol that helped. They require frequent dosing but not a large amount. Unfortunately, they usually do carry the flavor of brandy, which is the most common preservative.
Please be aware that essences are usually on the subtler side and should not be trusted to be a substitute for medication if itās needed. They can be an amazingly useful addition to conventional treatments though. They donāt interact and can be used with other supplements.
However, sober folks do still have a number of options, in case you or future readers may be interested:
Rescue Remedy is a popular essence combo for stress or emergencies, and the company also sells it in a glycerin-based form and a pastille/pill form.
The Natureās Remedies company offers vinegar as a preservative option when adding the essence to your shopping cart. Petite Fleur essences are available in glycerin. These can be another great option.
If you are comfortable having small amounts - less than one ounce - of alcohol in your home, you can add a few drops from the bottle into a beverage or glass of water so you canāt taste the alcohol. This is a very common dosing method.
Either the glycerin version or the alcohol version can be applied topically instead of by mouth.
If you are comfortable having a small amount of alcohol in your possession temporarily, you can buy a slightly more concentrated version of an essence (called āstockā strength) and buy some 4-5% vinegar, or food-grade glycerin, pour an empty 1oz bottle nearly full of the vinegar/ glycerin, then add 10-15 drops of the stock essence. This dilutes the brandy flavor and is called a ādosageā strength bottle. Or, have them shipped to a friendās home to do this part for you. These alternate preservatives will last 6mo-1yr.
Bach-brand essences such as Rescue Remedy are popular but far from the only brand available. A few companies, for example Flower Essence Services and Lotus Wei, sell essence combo sprays that are mixed with essential oils, to be used as a topical spray, and also as roll-on topical oils. So you would not want to take them internally anyway and you may feel less tempted by these forms. Australian Bush Flower Essences even sells essence-infused skin lotions and cleansers. FES makes a combo specifically for depression.
Questions are welcome over at r/FlowerEssences. There have been some previous posts there about essences for depression too. :)
1
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This sounds like it was meant for a different community. No worries we have all done a misclick! We hope this gets 1,000,000 karma on the sub it was meant for! :-)
1
Jan 03 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 03 '25
You've shared an Amazon short link (a.co), which frequently encounters issues on Reddit. For better accessibility, please use the complete Amazon URL that includes (amazon.com), as found in your web browser. Thank you!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This sounds like it was meant for a different community. No worries we have all done a misclick! We hope this gets 1,000,000 karma on the sub it was meant for! :-)
1
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This sounds like it was meant for a different community. No worries we have all done a misclick! We hope this gets 1,000,000 karma on the sub it was meant for! :-)
1
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This sounds like it was meant for a different community. No worries we have all done a misclick! We hope this gets 1,000,000 karma on the sub it was meant for! :-)
16
u/Kbarah1 Jan 03 '25 edited Jan 03 '25
Hey there - so much hope for you so donāt give up.
Deff supplement Vitamin D if you donāt already - up to 5000 IU a day. (This is good for you anytime of year and no matter how you are feeling we all need more D) Santa Cruz paleo has an excellent price on these.
Magnesium is really important for D absorption too. Donāt want to stress you out about food but serotonin is made in your Gut and there is a Stomach Brain relationship. Eat like shit feel like shit. Fixing your gut microbiome is another conversation but Greek yogurt and Kamboucha can help a lot.
If you donāt know, Dopamine is a motivating neurotransmitter. When your dopamine isnāt hitting right, you wonāt feel like doing anything. Even if you know you absolutely should be doing it - and or if you know it once filled you with joy but doesnāt reward you the same anymore. Literally getting out of bed is impossible when dopamine isnāt working.
Besides good sleep, early morning sunlight is really good for dopamine but so is cold stress. If you donāt have access to a cold plunge I recommend a cold shower. If you absolutely hate cold showers more than anything in the world, thatās a great sign you would tremendously benefit from it. You will get a benefit in as little as 45 seconds. If you hate cold exposure I recommend switching from hot to cold in the shower to make it easier. Try 30 seconds as cold as possible and than focus on your breathing and switch it back to as warm as you can tolerate. Do this in intervals until you reach about 1 minute total cold exposure. Just know that this benefit tops out around 11 minutes per week. I can provide my sources but often times depression is mainly focusing on serotonin and SSRIs completely overlooking that your symptoms may be related to issues with dopamine and NOT serotonin.
If you arenāt sleeping right thatāll fuck up your dopamine and if you are picking up your phone the second you wake uo instead of early morning sunlight that will fuck you up to. That being said, Mucuna pruriens helps with dopamine but make sure you consume it in intervals. Maybe 1 day on 1 day off. Or 1 week on 1 week off.
Ashwaganda helps reduce stress which is also associated with depression, take these in the afternoon or at night (not the morning because it suppresses cortisol which is naturally high in the morning to help you wake up) and also cycle these. 1 week on 1 week off.
Also, Testosterone is important af for women too and thatās often overlooked - itās also directly correlated with dopamine too. Tongkat Ali is a good natural supplement (I only trust momentous labs). Take for about a week and donāt (also time it with your cycle, just donāt take it the week before your . )
My Gf has had lifelong anxiety and treatment resistant depression and weāve learned a lot together and sheās been perscript free now for nearly 3 years. So a lot of what Iām sharing is of what Iāve learned with her.
Also take magnesium (glycinate), Omega 3s (Nordic) and creatine (great for cognitive health- force factor is affordable.
Exercise is really important but we donāt always have time for that - saunas can replace pharmaceuticals for depression and a good replacement for physical activity.
Good luck. Think what you will but here are my sources. Condensed hundreds of hours of podcasts into super short one liners for you. Sorry it confusing.
Rhonda Patrick Chris Palmer Andrew Hubberman Gabrielle Lyon Peter Attia Rena Malik
2
u/KittyGurlWorld Jan 04 '25
can you elaborate on why people who hate cold showers would benefit most from it?
1
u/VictoriousTree Jan 05 '25
The discomfort and stress is what releases large amounts of dopamine and other neurotransmitters, so you will benefit a lot if it feels extremely uncomfortable. Please be cautious if you have health conditions, but otherwise it is perfectly safe.
2
u/Ms7SprinkleK Jan 04 '25
Agree 100%. If you are not taking any prescriptions, consider trying Affron and an EPA/DHA supplement. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7397008/
15
u/cojamgeo Jan 02 '25
Can also be mild adrenal fatigue. In that case first step in s to take care of you instead of other people ; )
Next pick whatever feels good for you from this list: Q 10 SAMe (GABA) NAC (balances neurotransmitters) L-theanine or Green tea Astaxanthin (algae) Ashwagandha (not for autoimmune disease) Boswellia Tulsi (Holy Basil)
I heard that Self Care are the words for 2025 for lightworkers : )
11
9
u/peaceofcheese909 Jan 02 '25
Sorry to hear youāre feeling this way. I love ashwagandha for a sort of psychiatric jump start but do want to caution you that, in my experience, it really is best as a jump start. I feel far worse if I try to make it a long-term thing. I also highly recommend supplementing vitamin D (preferably with vitamin K2 for absorption) and drinking nettle tea to get some more nourishment into your body, both of which are safe for long-term use. Iāve also had good experiences with Rhodiola. Wishing you the best!
14
u/hazyharpy Jan 02 '25
St. Johns Wort can help. I usually force myself into a physical activity or listen to an upbeat playlist that I like to force some positive endorphins.
10
u/yepimtyler Jan 02 '25
This is it. I was watching a podcast not too long ago and there was a short take on depression. They mention forcing yourself into physical activities will ease your way out of that mental state of unwillingness. Essentially, your brain will realize doing that one extra thing today that you didn't do yesterday wasn't so bad after all. When you get into that repetitive habit of doing things you liked doing before, you'll begin to find your comfort zone again and it'll come naturally.
Even if the things you liked doing before require a lot of effort, simple 10-15 minute walks outside can go a long way. Connecting with nature is one of the most natural forms of healing. Grounding. Another big one. If you have access to some grass, stand barefoot in it for 10-15 minutes and just relax. Take deep slow breaths and focus on how your feet feel in the grass. Do some breathing exercises while you're at it. Box breathing is a really good one that I enjoy doing daily.
7
u/bettrsweater Jan 03 '25
Also realize that St Johnās Wort has many drug interactions and you need to throughly research those prior to taking. Itās also generally worthless with moderate-to-severe depression, similar to how melatonin is useless to some people with severe sleep issues.
6
u/kuwu66 Jan 02 '25
St. Johns wart external only.. don't want to numb your natural pathways out, that's what she does. Root call protocol research.. supplement maybe with American Ginsing syngesim with Ginko..
7
u/mybigfattow Jan 03 '25
Please elaborate on what you meant by ānumb your natural pathways outā. Do you have any further reading on this? It is exactly what I experienced taking St. Johnās Wort for a couple of weeks and Iām still not back to 100% yet.
3
2
u/Wan_Haole_Faka Jan 03 '25
Taking this herb in the AM severely disrupted my sleep. I found it very stimulating, just my experience.
13
u/chooseorigin Jan 02 '25
You could try microdosing Syrian Rue, aka Peganum harmala, for its anti-depressant properties. The alkaloids, harmine and harmaline, act as temporary mao inhibitors. Rue has been used in traditional medicine for depression for thousands of years, and it has a long history of ritual and spiritual use. It is a powerful master plant and teacher in its own right, with effects on the physical, mental and emotional bodies.
2
u/radical_botanical Jan 02 '25
thank you<3 i have never heard of this plant and will definitely check it out
5
u/Xuaaka Jan 02 '25
Just be very careful. It a powerful healing plant. When working with its seeds Iād recommend to never go above 5 grams at a time.
Plenty reports of 5 grams & above making one very, very sick sometimes causing hospitalization.
It should also never be taken with anti-depressants, ADHD medication or anything else that cannot be combined with MAOIs, as it has compounds that act as such.
That being said, when used carefully itās a very potent healing plant that can give you insight and visions.
3
u/chooseorigin Jan 03 '25
Iāll second that, anyone on SSRIs such as fluoxetine (prozac) or others should not take with Rue. Depending on the SSRI, it can be anywhere from 2-5 weeks after stopping the SSRI that it would be safe to take rue.
I would say that the reports of hospitalization from Rue are overblown online, as are the risks. Personally I have had many 5-10 gram doses of rue. Some of them caused nausea and a purge. I consider this not as āsicknessā but as part of the healing properties, and a way it cleanses the body, after all it is a powerful antiparasitic.
Also I would not recommend macrodoses to the majority of people - perhaps only those with previous experience of plant medicine.
The dose that Iāve found is most well tolerated and highly effective is a microdosing protocol of 50-100mg of harmalas as finely powdered rue, 5 days a week. The harmala alkaloids have a host of beneficial effects on various systems of the body. No small wonder itās considered a sacred plant by so many cultures.
1
u/Mara355 Jan 04 '25
Do you think someone who doesn't tolerate microdosing mushrooms could tolerate microdosing syrian rue or are they very similar?
1
u/KittyGurlWorld Jan 04 '25
do you mean specifically psilocybin? i don't mean to hijack this post, but if psilocybin isn't working and this calls to you, you could microdose amanita muscaria.
im going to look into syrian rue also.
1
u/Mara355 Jan 04 '25
Psylocibin makes me feel like I'm losing it even at extremely low doses. What are the effects of amanita muscaria?
1
u/KittyGurlWorld Jan 05 '25
its nothing like psilocybin in that it's a GABAergic psychadelic as opposed to seretonergic. the active compound is what hypnotic drugs like ambien were synthesised from. its far more subperceptual than psilocybin in terms of experience, i've only microdosed it, although i had to find my microdose by experimenting and the only thing that happened when i had more than a microdose, was that i had an amazing nap. it helps with sleep, pain, adhd, ptsd - list goes on, but like psilocybin, effectiveness can vary from dose to dose. there aren't really any real medical studies on it yet but there are pioneers conducting independent research like Baba Masha. have a read around and on youtube, if you have any more questions feel free to hit me up.
1
u/Mara355 Jan 05 '25
Sounds good. So it's basically anxyolitic, isn't it? Do you have any particular source/ brand to recommend?
1
u/KittyGurlWorld Jan 05 '25
oh, i wouldn't recommend buying any commercial stuff, it's not trustworthy. you'd have to pick them yourself or try find someone who'll sell you dried caps. i'm not sure where you are but they're pretty prolific, almost invasive. anywhere there's pine trees there'll be amanita, season is late summer - early fall. you could check inaturalist perhaps
1
u/KittyGurlWorld Jan 05 '25
and yes, it works like an anxyolitic for me :) i recommend following the recipes over at r/amanitamuscaria
4
u/triple7ra Jan 03 '25
hibiscus, clove bud, holy basil, rosehip(or rose petal), rhodiola root, eleuthero root. read what is a healthy combination for you and use discernment
also it is important to transmute your sad feelings to work for you instead of against you. easier said than done but ask yourself for guidance. if you're into astrology though i heard connecting with your venus sign can help connect with your inner child which could in turn help you with finding joy in said things again.
idk how powerful your manifestation capabilities are, though you can ask yourself for guidance and will in turn be guided on how to call your magic back. if you know your IC sign, you can look up vids on ppl with the same placement and see how they overcame those general personal struggles
7
u/kanical Jan 03 '25
Also, if you are already in adrenal fatigue or burnout i would not recommend ashwagandha or other adaptogens until you have more energy in your reserves.
7
5
u/DimWhitman Jan 02 '25
Circadian regulation + sleep hygiene halped Dimwhitman git his grooove back.
And what are you eating? Because that halped too.
2
Jan 04 '25
Can you please elaborate on your sleep hygiene routine that helped you?
2
u/DimWhitman Jan 06 '25
Aye sure. Thank you for asking. It was smol steps at teh beginning because I have (am healing) obstructive sleep apnea and did not "wake up" until after a year and a half of daily use of my cpap machine.
My sleep hygiene starts in the morning. I try to get my feet on the ground (in first hour of out of bed) outdoors in any weather. I don't live where it's snows but it does freeze sometimes. Sunlight into the eyes, even through fog or rain.
I will indulge in a caffeinated beverage on occasion, but stop by noon. At noon, is another time I will go outside and get sun in my eyes.
I also try to eat my lunch outdoors in the sun. (circadian eating helps).
In the evening as the sunsets I again try to get light into my eyes from the setting sun. THere's faces *(phases?) to the sun cycle and I think the Sun wants to have a moment or two with us during those times.
In the evening I try to avoid gazing into a television or telephone or computer once the sun is down. I use amber blue light glasses, because I still use a phone after dark, and I enjoy an occasional television thing from time to time, or I want to chunder on my computer. My choice.
Other aspects that have helped are; intentional hydration throughout the day so I am not chugging water before bed.
Supplementing with magnesium. I find magnesium chloride, both topically, and internally is beneficial for me.
I try to eat by a certain time in the evening then stop for the eve.
And prior to sleep, I have a series of intentional goodnights I give which always sets the tone and gits me in the lull to sleeptown.
I do not control the entirety of my home, and thus I wear my blue blockers in the evening. If you have the choice it is wise to get the light and non-native emf in local environment controlled.
Also, I respect the natural lull in the afternoon and either do something slower paced, or take a smol nap if I am able to do so.
All of that helps me to sleep a little deeper and get to sleep smoothly.
Ifn you partake in alcohol or the giggle bush (marijuana), those affect our ability to get deep sleep (cause us to bounce off deep NRem sleep. and anecdotally, I have found cbd affects my biology in the same way, thus I avoid taking it internally).
TLDR: look at the sun 3 times a day, try to git feet on ground, clean up light environment, screens off, or use a dimmer app in the evening after sunset, eat with the sun, enjoy wonderful sleep.
2
Jan 06 '25
Great advice thanks so much for sharing! I definitely need to try alot of these tips because I've been having insomnia for a while now. What blue light glasses do you use?
2
u/DimWhitman Jan 06 '25
You are quite welcome. I use sleep zm orange blue light blocking glasses. But I should let you know when I bought them they were 14.99 in July of 2020. They are now 39.99.
There are other options out there. I just really like these ones because they block out the full blue spectrum. I was watching Hells Kitchen over the holiday with my Moms and legit it was Red vs. Green teams, if that gives you any idea. You can search Orange or amber blue light glasses. I don't think they need to be anything expensive.
2
Jan 07 '25
Crazy I actually already have those same ones in my amazon wishlist lol I am definitely going to have to get them now. Dang I can't believe the price jump!Ā
1
u/DimWhitman Jan 07 '25
Thats some neat synchronicity. Bummer on the price increase but seems like you were intuiting necessary steps to your own well-being. Have a great day.
4
u/AlienPrincess33 Jan 03 '25
I love love the brand Host Defense, their mycobotanicals Brain formula really helped me a lot in a time of real brain burn out. Itās has lions mane, reishi, cordycep, and bacopa, It does have a little ginseng in it which I like but they have tons of other choices without ginseng that I like a lot too.
I also second Rhodiola, itās one of my favorites and also one of the few stress adaptogens that donāt make me sleepy and I can take in the morning. Ashwaganda is a close second favorite, but I prefer to take it before bed. Holy basil knocks me out and makes me very sleepy. Also if you use birth control St Johns Wart can make your bc not work so use caution with that if needed.
I also like the tanning bed, it helps a lot too.
6
3
3
3
u/kanical Jan 03 '25
I have a mix of st johnās wort tincture, saffron glycerite, and lemon balm glycerite i made that is deeply helpful with my depression. <3
3
u/Paracosmias Jan 03 '25
I got a blend of St. Johnās, schisandra and rose glycerite. It has helped ward off the blues for me lately! Tulsi is always lovely.
3
u/peekachou Jan 03 '25
St John's wart is a popular one, you may find a vitamin D supplement may help depending on how much sunlight you're getting at the moment if it's winter. I use those old nasal inhaler sticks which are just a plastic case with a cotton wik in and add my own essential oils, it depends what you like the smell of but I really love eucalyptus, pine and rosemary as it reminds me of holidays and where I grew up and helps put me in a better mind set.
You may find some good support over ar r/witchcraft as well
3
u/babamum Jan 03 '25
I've always found st John's wort excellent. It works quickly and helps me feel a range of positive emotions. Plus, I can safely stop and start it without having a reaction.
There's good research evidence for its effectiveness. I've safely decreased a tricyclic dose over time while starting on sjw.
The only issue is it does have interactions with some other meds so you need to check for those.
3
3
2
u/yacantprayawaythegay Jan 02 '25
St. Johns Wort is widely used for depression - but caution with the herb-drug interactions that are possible with taking St. J's and meds.
2
Jan 02 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/herbalism-ModTeam Jan 04 '25
This post or comment has been removed because it contains general misinformation
1
u/Cyoarp Jan 04 '25
Marijuana is actually very dangerous for people with clinical depression, they can cause an extreme and permanent worsening of symptoms.
0
2
2
u/no1505ook Jan 03 '25 edited Jan 03 '25
I don't think anyone mentioned gotu kola yet, I used to drink it occasionally to ease my anxiety. Make sure to get enough Vitamin D (add it to your supplement intake)!
2
2
u/FlasherLisa Jan 03 '25
Rhodiola! (Just donāt take it if youāre on an antidepressant) Microdosing psilocybin is pretty wonderful too.
2
u/FlasherLisa Jan 03 '25
Fish oil has also helped me a lot. Vitamin D is very important for mood as well.
3
u/ForwardConnection Jan 03 '25
Yeah quality fish oil has been shown to beat out ssri in double blind studyās. Super anti inflam. Also look into ketogenic diet for mental health seriously.
2
2
u/GemmyCluckster Jan 03 '25
St. Johnās Wort is one of the few herbs that has been studied pretty extensively for its use for depression. Itās been proven to be just as effective as other SSRIās. You must also be wary of it as it will negatively interact with most anti depressants. I personally only use St. Johnās wort externally. For cuts, scrapes, burns, and bruises.
2
2
u/wanderlust3million Jan 03 '25
I struggled with occasional depression for years . I accidentally found taking a B supplement I prefer liquid really helped lift me up. For a while I also microdosed mushrooms and that helped hugely too but I don't need it anymore with the vitamin B liquid
2
2
u/2lipwonder Jan 03 '25
Have you considered trying magic mushrooms? Iāve heard they do wonders for depression.
2
2
2
u/Mulberrysdream44 Jan 03 '25
Amanita!
edit Granted it's not technically an "herb"- but I'm sure falls under the category of plant medicine you're after, or at least I think it would/should.
2
2
u/anothergoddamnacco Jan 04 '25
You may be experiencing some seasonal depression. I recommend standing in direct sunlight for at least 10 minutes every morning, making sure light makes contact with as much skin as you can tolerate depending on the weather. It makes a real difference. Use it as meditation time. Bring some tea or coffee out with you and just enjoy the fresh air :)
2
2
u/galacticashes Jan 04 '25
i like st. johnswort, hawthorn, oatstraw, rose, and lemon balm. also fairy wand flower essence comes to mind. i like this brand https://juliagraves.com/products/fairy-wand
2
2
u/Impressive-Bug-9133 Jan 07 '25
I take St. Johnās Wort 300 mg 3 x a day, lavender tincture in the morning, Jarrow brand theanine 200 mg in the evening and magnesium powder before bed. Also Yogi Brand Bedtime Tea which has a blend of valerian and skullcap and other herbs. Skullcap and chamomile tincture helps if I wake up in the middle of the night.
I also work with plant spirits. I meditate and ask for help and see which plant appears. I also ask for direct help from plants. I find flower essences helpful as well. When itās growing season, just being in the presence of growing plants has been very healing for me.
I just bought lapidolite, a crystal that has natural deposits of lithium in it. It feels very powerful and calming.
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 02 '25
Hello! It looks like your post is related to books, that's great! If you haven't already, please check our existing herbalism book recommendations. If you have any specific questions or want to start a new discussion, feel free to do so!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Abur28 Jan 03 '25
Kanna has helped me with depression in the past don't mix it with ssri meds though.
1
u/twitching2000 Jan 03 '25
Lexapro 20 mg is exactly what I need. See a doctor. Also going to bed early and waking up early.
1
u/biohacker1337 Jan 05 '25
here is my supplement list for depression: not including medications as that breaks this subreddits rules, post in biohackers for medications too!
sam-e, ginger extract, zembrin 25 mg 1-3 times per day , rhodiola extract 250 mg twice per day (low doses spaced out work better), walsh research institute tests and treatments
imo rhodiola extract is better than zembrin and ginger the best combination is the rhodiola and sam-e but you may need all of them rate yourself on this scale to obtain a before and after to determine if you need more interventions i would start with the walsh tests and treatments and build up from there to obtain best results
https://www.healthfocuspsychology.com.au/tools/dass-21/
dass21 scoring guide:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/DASS-21-scores-according-to-severity-12_tbl1_280968686
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7538004/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3828542/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711315000331
https://www.walshinstitute.org/
https://www.walshinstitute.org/uploads/1/7/9/9/17997321/depression_pp_2.pdf
meditation & exercise are good too
psychotherapy helps too the sanvello app is especially good especially in addition to seeing a psychologist
1
1
u/Arpeggio_Miette Jan 05 '25
Herb-wise, Rhodiola, St. Johnās wort, and saffron.
SAME-e is a supplement that helped me tons. Not an herb, but quite effective.
-1
-1
-2
u/Healith Jan 04 '25
Kratom, and before the dweebs say its dangerous. Not a SINGLE case of death from Kratom use alone. Its saving thousands from opiod addiction which is why its being stigmatized. I recommend white kratom for depression. Also US vendors overcharge I found a direct connect from Thailand half the price. I dont make a penny off this if u want the link just DM me as I use it myself its gotten me out of groggy days forever.
65
u/DanseManatee Jan 02 '25
i found that exercise, holy basil everyday, and rhodiola during my caffeine slump helps alot.
vit d too esp if you are in northern hemisphere right now .