Natural Remedies, Herbs & Supplements For Depression And Anxiety: How To Treat Depression On Your Own

How To Treat Depression On Your Own

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental disorder, affecting about 34 million people, of all ages and ethnicities, including children and adolescents.
Interestingly, about half of all cases of depression and anxiety go undiagnosed and untreated, yet depression is the most treatable form of mental diseases.

Depression is an emotional condition characterized by feeling s of hopelessness. The disorder can be classified as neurotic or psychotic. A person can feel irritable, overwhelmed and indecisive for a prolonged period of time, this can manifest physically as being sick and run down, exhausted, problems sleeping or a loss or a change or appetite.

Medication and counseling can relieve symptoms, but some herbs and supplements may also help. The early symptoms of depression and anxiety you can treat yourself.

Herbs and supplements:

The use of complementary therapies is going popular as more people are starting to look for natural remedies to manage their health. This is especially true of mood disorders like depression and anxiety. Research is showing promise for some supplements treating in mild to moderate depression.

These are the most commonly used herbs and supplements for depression.

Depression Herbs:

St.Johns wort
The most popular herbal anti-depressant. Current research shows that this herb acts on neurotransmitters, the brain chemical which influences mood. This herb is widely used in UK and Europe for mild to moderate depression and anxiety.

Valerian root
For centuries, this herb has been used to treat nervous tension depression attacks. Valerian is wonderful herb, famous for calming and quieting to the nervous system.

Ginkgo
Ginkgo is a Chinese herb, traditionally used for the brain. This herb is famous for improving blood flow and protecting the lining of the blood vessels. Because it can improve blood flow, Ginkgo is often used to improve nerve function, memory, poor concentration and depression.

Kava Kava
Is the herb to choice to relax the body, relieve stress, to combat mild to moderate depression, and for relief from a headache and back pain. This herb is now recognized by many doctors as an alternative to drugs like Xanax and Valium.

Supplements For Depression And Anxiety:

Omega-3 fatty acids
These fats are found in cold water fish, flax oil, flax seeds, walnuts and other foods. Omega-3 supplements are being studied as possible treatment for depression and anxiety. While considered generally safe, the supplement can have a fishy taste. Although eating foods with other omega-3 fatty acids appears to have heart-healthy benefits, more research is needed to determine if it has an effect on preventing or improving depression.

5-HTP
5-hydroxytrypotophan is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and is the final step in the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin. This supplement is very effective in regulating and improving serotonin level in the brain. It is extracted from the seeds of griffonia simplicifolia, an African tree that is grown mostly in Ghana. 5-HTP has gained huge popularity in the treatment of insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

Vitamin-b complex

B complex contains all the different b vitamins, which work best in combination. Under conditions of stress and disease, we need more methyl groups. Stress makes our adrenal gland work hard and weakens our nerves and immune system.

Methyl groups are essential for all these. This is why stress is so bad for our health and why B vitamins are so good for stress.