Ever Heard of Depression Herbs and Supplements?

Depression can be interpreted as a mood disorder. It can also be referred to as sad feelings that emanate from loss, anger, and social issues capable of interrupting a person’s daily activities. It is a clinical condition that, without proper treatment and management, it could get worse.

Depression is a complex psychological illness. It occurs in every human at some point in their lives, no matter the age, grade, status, or gender. Though researchers have not been able to specifically pinpoint the major cause of depression. However, when a person’s emotional stability becomes shaky, there is a high tendency that the person slips into a coma. These emotional factors could be varying, ranging from career to marriage and so on.  People slipping into depression could be as a result of when a strategic point in a person’s life begins to nosedive or take a downward slope, and there is nothing the person or anyone could do to save it. Other perceived causes could be experiencing a particular severe kind of illness, death of a loved one, loneliness, and sadness. In other words, when the emotions of people get tampered with, then depression can set in.

When a person who is depressed has any of these health issues prior to the depression, there is a great tendency that the health issue would worsen. These health issues are;

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Heart diseases
• Asthma
• Obesity

Feeling dispirited at some point in your life is normal. It does not mean you are ill. But dwelling on that feeling of sadness for a long time, feeling hopeless and angry about that condition, could mean you are battling with depression.

Types

The two main types of depression are;

• Persistent Depressive Disorder

It is a chronic but mild kind of depression. Its symptoms can linger on for about 2 years. It lasts longer than its counterpart.

• Major Depressive Disorder

It is characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anxiety that do not wear off on their own, though its duration is usually not as long as a persistent deceptive disorder. At least 5 to 6 of the aforementioned symptoms have to be experienced before a conclusion is made that a person is suffering from a major depressive disorder.

Causes

Some factors have been identified to trigger depression and increase the chance of depression. These factors include;

• Abuse; when a person is abused, especially sexually and emotionally, the person gets emotionally wounded and slips into depression. Abuse is a factor that increases a person’s chances of suffering from clinical depression.
• Some medications; medications like certain antiviral drugs and some acne drugs have been discovered to make people feel depressed about themselves and their health.
• Conflict; depression could arise from someone having a conflict with friends and family. This majorly occurs in people who are extremely emotional and are vulnerable to slip into depression.
• Loss; loss can be categorized into the death of a loved one, loss of job, family, or career. These losses and, in fact, every form of loss have underlying depression tendencies, waiting for them to be awoken by the emotionally injured person.
• Genetics; some genes have been discovered to contain depression tendencies. People who have these genes tend to develop depression at any slight emotional disturbance. Over half of them are not emotionally strong enough to withstand emotional and psychological pressure.
• Social issues; issues like isolation and ex-communication by friends and family members can lead to depression.
• Chronic illnesses; some underlying medical conditions trigger depression—some of these illnesses include; cancer, insomnia, obesity, and diabetes.
• Substance abuse; almost 1/3 of people who abuse drugs and engage in the use of illegal and illicit drugs develop clinical depression with time.
• Brain structure; if the frontal lobe of your brain is not as active as it should be, your tendency to suffer from depression would be high.

Other factors that trigger depression are;

• Inferiority complex and low self-esteem
• Mental illness
• Certain stressful events
• Factors that interfere with a person’s feelings are enough to make the person develop depression.

Symptoms

Depression, just like every other clinical issue, has symptoms. Some of these depression symptoms affect your psychological health, while others affect your body. Some symptoms of depression include;

• Lack of curiosity in social activities, especially favorite ones
• Constant feeling of sadness and loneliness
• The sour mood of either anxiousness, anger, or aggressiveness
• Reduced sexual interest
• Loss of concentration
• Inability to properly complete tasks
• Insomnia and restlessness at the night
• Fatigue and headache that tamper with one’s daily activities
• Talking and thinking slowly
• Frustration
• Constant feeling of irritation
• Lack of appetite
• Sometimes sleepiness or too much sleep.
• Suicide attempts and frequent thoughts of death
• It is believed that a depressed person has to experience at least 5 to 7 of these symptoms to a disturbing level for about 2 weeks before confirmation is made that the person is truly developing depression.

Antidepressant Herbs and Supplements

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 is an essential oil that is gotten from oily fishes. This automatically means it is an oil or fat that can be gotten from your diet. In addition, omega 3 fatty acids supplements have been in existence in recent times to supply vegetarians and people who do not enjoy consuming omega 3 food sources with omega 3 fatty acids benefits.

Omega 3 fatty acids, according to research, may help with depression. It helps as a healthy addition to your diet. It is easy to incorporate into your diet. In addition, its supplement is more tolerable for people who do not enjoy eating omega 3 fatty acid food sources.

Saffron

Saffron contains antioxidants like crocetin and carotenoids crocin. It is a natural spice that has proven to be a natural and effective remedy for depression. Research showed that saffron boosts the mood generally. The survey helped researchers observe that people who supplemented their diets with natural saffron spice had lower depression risks. In the course of the research, it was also discovered that saffron helps reduce depression symptoms for people who had already started exhibiting depression symptoms.

Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D plays a number of vital roles in the body, and it is believed that quite a lot of people lack sufficient vitamin D in their body, including depressed people. Studies showed that people who are suffering from depression are likely to be vitamin D deficient. Surveys proved that every depression sufferer has a low vitamin D level. Thus, inferences supplying depression sufferers with sufficient vitamin D could help prevent worsening of their condition and also help combat depression symptoms were made. According to research, vitamin D can help combat depression through different means. Some of these means include;

Inflammation reduction

Mood regulation

Protection against dysfunctions like neurocognitive dysfunction.

A recent study showed that depressed patients with vitamin D deficiency upon receiving vitamin D injection significantly relieved symptoms and improved the quality of their lives.

Rhodiola

Among its health benefits is the reduction of depression symptoms. It is a natural herb that is popularly known to help manage and reduce stress. It contains antidepressant properties and solves depression problems through the effective enhancement of cell communication. Supplements of Rhodiola are now available in supermarkets and stores. Studies even prove that the positive effect of the mixture of Rhodiola and saffron on depression sufferers is significantly high.

St. John’s Wort

St John’s wort is a promising herb that has proven to be effective in the reduction of depression symptoms. Although it is known to manage mild depression symptoms and not severe ones, it is effective anyway. In addition, it interacts dangerously with medications, especially antidepressants. These interactions could be life-threatening; this is why it is advised not to combine it with other medications whatsoever; it should be used alone.

Ginseng

Ginseng is a plant that comes naturally with numerous active ingredients. Asians have, over the years, used this plant to help people with depression improve symptoms. It is also an active stress relief and mental clarity enhancer. Ginseng supplements are now available and can help you meet the recommended dosage for your health.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a plant that helps manage stress and anxiety, both of which are onsets of depression. It has been established to be an effective remedy for the relief and reduction of depressive symptoms.

Lavender

Out of the lavender plant, the lavender essential oil is produced. This oil is an essential oil that induces relaxation, improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety.

In conclusion, depression is a clinical mental disorder that affects anyone at any time. Though there are several therapies and treatment methods for depression. However, people seek more natural and side-effects-free remedies; this is why most people opt-in for these natural remedies, their supplements, and diet modifications.

As natural and healthy as these remedies, supplements, and diet modifications are, it is important to address them with your doctor before using any of them for depression to ensure they are safe enough for you.