Posted by bleauberry on August 23, 2017, at 7:29:15
In reply to Re: Chronic Resistant Major Depression Is Curable, posted by SLS on August 22, 2017, at 18:23:29
Scott the herbs I have found most helpful for mood improvement, are the same ones used in treating Lyme. Cat's Claw, Polygonum Cupsidatum (Japanese Knotweed), Andrographis, Houttuynia, Berberine, high dose vitamin C, medium/high dose vitamin D despite sun exposure, N-acetyl-cysteine, alpha lipoid acid - the umbrella approach to mood improvement.
The herbs known for mood improvement can work as good as SSRIS but my guess is the overall efficacy is about as reliable as the meds we are all familiar with. It's still a guessing game. It still requires trying something for a long enough trial with no guarantees of anything good coming from it.
One of the first herbs to help me profoundly was SJW. A psychiatrist kicked me off of it. Bad mistake. But that's another story for another day....
If a friend came to me and said he/she was depressed and wanted to take herbs and supplements for it but not meds, here's what I would suggest.
Start with mood control rather than an umbrella approach because we need quality of life improvement as fast as possible. Healing will take longer. But we do want to add the umbrella approach later.
I would start with Rhodiola Rosea. I would consider as add-ons or replacements if it failed St Johns Wort with Lemon Balm combination (special synergy for depression), and Berberine. Peurarian is often recommended in Chinese medicine for brain issues and brain inflammation and mood improvement, and I only tried it one day and have no experience with it.
These herbs can be combined any way desired. Herbal treatments usually work better when there is synergy from multiple herbs with overlapping mechanisms. I have no problem combining Rhodiola, SJW, and Lemon Balm, and whatever else. But like meds, start them one at a time, titrate slowly to see what each change does before moving along too hastily. A lot of good treatments went in the trash because patients didn't understand natural healing is going to take longer and feel more subtle while it is happening. Cannot bail out too early. A patient trying herbs needs at least a 3 month window to get a hint of what power the herbs have, and then another 3 to 18 months for continued healing and improvement.
I think magnesium is a better alternative than lithium if mood stability or calming is desired. They serve similar purposes, except that the body needs healthy amounts of magnesium and our diets are usually very low in it. I've seen stories of bipolar patients who were helped somewhat by lithium orotate but helped noticeably more by magnesium. The carrier molecule is important. A patient would want to try several of them. Citrate might work but maybe not. Malate is a good choice. The point is to try magnesium with different carrier molecules because they can have profoundly different responses.
While these herbs and sups help with the umbrella approach to breaking resistant depression's hold on the body, the umbrella herbs themselves, the common Lyme herbs, bring the deep healing that should keep relapses far away. So it's a two pronged approach - the first part is what we all do here - try to improve mood - the second part is to treat as many causes of depression as we can, blindly, with an umbrella approach that covers most of the bad guys - toxicity, inflammation, pathogen.
> Hi Linkadge.
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> Hi Bleauberry.
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> A friend of mine would like some recommendations on how to treat depression without drugs.
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> I was wondering what herbs and supplements you have had the most success with for depression?
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> How do you feel about combining St. John's Wort with lithium oratate.
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> I don't know what dosage of lithium oratate would equal 300 mg of lithium carbonate.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> - Scott
>
>
poster:bleauberry
thread:1094565
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20161215/msgs/1094578.html