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Herbal remedies for depression
Introduction to herbal remedies for depression[Top] There are thousands of herbs in the world, so in my opinion it would be incredible if there weren't much more potential herbal remedies to treat depression than those shown here. There are plenty of people who are disillusioned with antidepressants and are seeking some herbal remedies for depression. The following herbs below may be something you wish to consider if you are suffering from depression. As always, discuss it with a general practitioner who has open mind and make your own decision.
Kava kava[Top] 
In a three week trial kava was found to reduce depression levels, the trial were conducted by researchers in Australia using 60 adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old. The study used a water soluble extract from the plant. As well as reducing the depression levels, the water soluble extract was also found to be safe and produced no serious side effects. Source http://www.springerlink.com/content/d067511634876461/ See Kava kava side effects and benefits for more information on the herb.
St John's wort[Top] 
St John's wort is the best known of all herbal remedies for depression. The Cochrane Collaboration analyses 29 clinical trials with 5459 patients, the patients have mild to moderate depression and different St John's wort extracts were tested. They concluded that these extracts performed much better than the placebo, with less side effects than normal antidepressants. Read benefits of St John's wort for more information on the herb.
Black cohosh[Top]
Native Americans used black cohosh for malaise. See native american herbal remedies. Pubmed published a study involving researchers in Germany conducted a study involving 301 women with climacteric complaints coupled with psychological complaints. The Hamilton depression scale was used to evaluate the psychological complaints. The psychological symptoms were treated with St. John's wort and black cohosh extract and a matched placebo for approximately 16 weeks. The result showed that black cohosh extract and St. John's wort performed significantly better than the placebo decreasing the Hamilton depression scale by 41% to 18%. For more information on the herb see black cohosh extract.
Valerian[Top] 
Chinese researchers conducted a study involving 70 rats. The rats were put into 7 groups, depression was induced in 60 of the rats by chronic mild stress. Chinese researchers conclude that valerian has the potential to be developed into an excellent antidepressant. Source: http://www.jcimjournal.com/en/showAbstrPage.aspx?articleID=167219772008030283 See the valerian page for more information about the herb. Return to natural healing home page
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