Depression: the natural remedies
Depression is loss of hope. It results in low energy characterized by despair.
But under that it is loss of seeing choices. The mind slips into 'no choice' mode and goes dark. Life looks like monotony or a dead-end.
Freud described depression as anger turned inward. I have experienced this. Sometimes that anger can be unconscious and involve energies blocked and reversed at the liver level. In Chinese medicine this is called 'rebellious liver Qi.' They have herbs and formulas known to overcome this and when dosed properly they are gentle with no side effects.
Sadness, however, is normal. Grief is normal. These are normal processes of feeling for human beings and mammals. We often don’t take enough space or time to heal through them. Funerals or memorial services are important, but often not enough to return one to normalcy after the loss of a loved one (pets too). Life seems to come to a full stop when we lose someone very close to us. Underneath the sadness we feel can be regret that needs to be acknowledged and dealt with. We just don’t want sadness to burden us so much we cannot function and move on.
It is not necessary to go immediately to pharmaceutical drugs for help during these kinds of emotional processes. Depression and its psychic relatives are not new to human experience. Traditional medicines around the world have long been available, along with some newer discoveries, that are more familiar to our biology and more compatible with healing and recovery.
There is also a phenomenon I’ve experienced that I call hormone deficiency depression. It can feel like genuine depression, but is absent of a nagging psychological issue or loss of hope. It can happen when certain hormone levels fall too low, taking your mood and energy with it. Your mind can go quite dark when this happens. I’ve resolved that with twice daily doses of Tribulus, Damiana, Maca, or another hormone potentiating herb until my hormone levels return to normal and stay that way. I don’t get them tested, because I can tell by how I feel that they’re balanced.
The following list is not meant to be complete, but exhaustive enough to show how many options there are that are often overlooked. The widest array of options are available if Asian systems (TCM, Ayurveda) are considered. Nature has multiple remedies for every possible human dis-ease. All conditions are relievable and curable if a healthy mentality and expectancy of healing are maintained.
Supplements
5-HTP is the precursor of serotonin. So it can be used if serotonin levels are believed low. So 5-HTP is the closest correlate here to pharmaceutical anti-depressants.
B-vitamins (complex) are needed by the body and a deficiency of them can cause a number of brain/nerve related symptoms. Generally, the more stress you’re under and the more your nervous system is working to deal with it, the more B-vitamins you’ll need. Best taken together as a complex.
Thyroid — hypothyroid is more common than standard medical tests would suggest. Thyroid supplements may contain actual thyroid (from sheep usually). They may also contain nutrient-herb combinations designed to feed the gland the iodine, amino acids, and other nutrients (sea weeds like Kelp or Dulse) it needs to do function well. Low thyroid results in brain fog, slow or difficult thinking, slow digestion/metabolism, lower body temperature, sluggish energy, weight gain, reduced appetite, etc. The thyroid is in many ways the endocrine regulator, especially downward of the adrenals. So if the typical things to boost your energy don’t seem to be working, then consider feeding your thyroid some purified iodine or at least some sea weed for several weeks.
The thyroid is often stressed, even depleted during grief. Chronically low thyroid can itself allow one to slip into depression more easily due to exhaustion.
Hyperthyroid does the opposite, occurring most often in an active, willful person of a fiery constitution seemingly full of energy, but burning out their thyroid or running into high-anxiety mental illness. Iodine is equally as important here, but would need to be used carefully and only as needed, and accompanied by sedative herbs to keep a more even balance.
Herbs
In natural medicine we treat people, not a diagnoses. People have different constitutional constructs. Two people can have the exact same (modern) medical diagnosis, but need a different natural medicine program for recovery. What matters is that you know your body and the nature of your imbalance so it can be seen holistically and matched up with an herb or herb formula.
Nervines (anti-anxiety agents and sedatives)
Mimosa flower (Albizia julibrissin). This has long been used in TCM as an effective anti-depressant, especially for those who have depression with anxiety or agitation/anger. The bark can be used, but it is preferable to use the flower since it is not damaging to the tree. https://tcmwiki.com/wiki/flos-albizziae
Scullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) can be quite tranquilizing. This species is the Virginian Scullcap, the strongest nervine and antispasmodic of the genus. It is a fine remedy for convulsions and spasmodic conditions of the nervous system. It is also hypnotic, so it helps you focus your mind and sleep when needed.
Gotu Kola is a modest anti-anxiety agent with other benefits. It has long been used in India.
Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) is an anti-anxiety agent that calms the mind. The foliage and flower are used.
St Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) is a modest anti-anxiety agent and anti-inflammatory nervine. It has gotten inordinate attention by researchers and marketers as a remedy for depression in the last 20+ years. While it may work for some experiencing moderate depression based in anxiety, in no way is it an herbal correlate to pharmaceutical anti-depressants.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) is a well-rounded herb that can relieve anxiety and melancholy as well as enhance digestion and relief surface tensions in the body. It is blood-moving, anti-spasmodic, and is calmative to sedative, depending on how much is used.
Energy regulators
These kinds of herbs are not typically used by themselves, but as assistants to other herbs, especially in time-tested formulations in TCM. The reason they work is that they either clear the liver of stagnancy and the emotions that accompany it, or they clear phlegm accumulations in the chest, neck, and head cavities that contribute to patterns of depression.
Bupleurum root has long been used in TCM and raises draggy energy, helping clear stagnant energy and emotions. https://tcmwiki.com/wiki/chai-hu
Cyperus rhizome is used in TCM to relieve moodiness, depression, and stagnation. https://tcmwiki.com/wiki/rhizoma-cyperi
Curcumin (Turmeric) root, Yu Jin in TCM. This is the vinegar-processed herb, not the orange powder you buy in the spice section or in capsules as used in Indian cooking. It moves both the blood and energy to relieve stagnancy and modest depression. https://tcmwiki.com/wiki/yu-jin
Citrus peels are mood-lifting and clear phlegm and the digestive/liver stagnancy that accompany stuck moods and emotions.
Energy Tonics
Sometimes what is needed is energy and exercise as much as anything. Get the energy moving and it gets you out of stagnation and it’s a lot easier to deal with whatever issues you may have.
Energy tonics are those herbs as defined in TCM that boost and tone the overall energy of the body — Ginseng, Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero root), Licorice, Astragalus root, Reishi mushroom, Jujube date, Codonopsis, Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum), Elecampane root, Suma root, Royal Jelly (from honeybees), Atractylodes rhizome, Rhodiola root, and more.
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Homeopathic remedies & flower essences
The most common homeopathic remedies indicated when there is serious depression are Arsenicum album, Aurum metallicum, Naturum muriaticum, and Sepia. Kali phosphoricum is a cell salt that can quickly relieve depression brought on by worry/exhaustion. Sometimes Hypericum perforatum does the job very well when the condition is traced back to a head/nerve injury. Ignatia amara is often indicated for difficult or protracted grieving. In no way is this a complete list. Many more homeopathic remedies are capable of healing depression, depending on the constitution of the individual needing help.
A number of flower essences have been made by Bach and by FES that can heal depression. Again, it depends on the particular constitution and needs of the individual. There is something to match everyone.
Essential oils
Essential oils cannot be used simultaneous with homeopathic remedies. These aromatic oils antidote homeopathics. You have to choose one or the other. There are still plenty of choices if you prefer aromatherapy.
Patchouli, Bergamot, Geranium, Citrus oils, Lavender, Clary Sage, Grapefruit, Jasmine, and Sandalwood are just some examples of anxiety-relieving, relaxing, mood-lifting or depression-relieving essential oils.
Non-chemical therapies
This is why alternative medicine matters — because modern medicine steered by big pharma does not recognize non-chemical therapeutics (except for talk therapy).
You may get more relief from anxiety and depression by balancing your energy than from any other kind of therapy. There are different way to do it. After all, it is your energy and you are in charge of it. You can change its pattern and along with it the effects of that pattern on your mind and body. Read my article on effective tools for balancing your energy.
Gems and crystals
Yes, they work, but you may have to get more informed and get creative in how you use them. I strongly suggest The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall.
It is absolutely the single best source I’ve ever read for reliable information on the healing energetic properties of gems and crystals. Each entry has a full-color photo.
If you want to start with a smaller book, try The Essential Guide to Crystals:
Or you could just go into a Crystal shop and touch and feel until you find one that gives you a good feeling. This is a process of becoming more body-energy centered and trusting what you feel. Too often, depression results from long-term patterns of belief in which our feelings or needs are not reinforced or supported. Deciding to trust what you feel and feeling out these beautiful gifts of the Earth for healing can change your life for the better.
Smoky Quartz is a great example of a stone that can relieve depression when the person’s will to live is fading. It helps ground you back into your body and give your energy a lift. There are literally dozens of affordable gems in raw or tumbled form that can work very well. Some need to be worn on the body, some touching the skin.
Larimar is the most healing stone I have ever used.
The whole Earth is filled with not just food, water, and other materials to sustain and shelter us — but medicines of all kinds to help us heal. But we have to look for them and be willing to learn.