St. John's Wort?

[EmmVeePee]

I have social anxiety and clinical depression (self-diagnosed). I refuse to seek counseling/medical intervention as I feel they will want to push drugs on me. I absolutely refuse to take any of the artificial drugs as I feel they make you Dependant on them for the rest of your life - a temporary solution that causes a permanent problem. If you take these, that's fine, they're just not for me.

However I know that there is some speculation to St. John's Wort being used as a positive mood balancer. I was wondering if there is any testimony for the extract of this plant. I already bought a bottle and took one about 3 hours ago and was thrown into a fit of severe depression for about 20 minutes. However this is the first dose, and may take a few to build up the necessary concentration.

I'll try to keep you updated, however I don't check this board.

For archival record, please send me a private message for my email address.

 

[heron]

If you know you had that reaction, it's probably not suited well to what you have. Have you ever tried valerian? I wouldn't recommend it just for depression, but it is very relaxing for the anxiety and accompanying muscle tension. It's powerful, so only take one until it wears off.

Sometimes when people are stressed, they hold their breath and tense up, and this prevents oxygen flow... so sometimes unusual things work. I have seen potassium help people, and I'm not sure why! Complex physiologies, we have.

I've taken St. Johnswort sometimes with no reaction at all; for certain things it has helped a bit.

 

[jsimms615]

I have social anxiety and clinical depression (self-diagnosed). I refuse to seek counseling/medical intervention as I feel they will want to push drugs on me. I absolutely refuse to take any of the artificial drugs as I feel they make you Dependant on them for the rest of your life - a temporary solution that causes a permanent problem. If you take these, that's fine, they're just not for me.

However I know that there is some speculation to St. John's Wort being used as a positive mood balancer. I was wondering if there is any testimony for the extract of this plant. I already bought a bottle and took one about 3 hours ago and was thrown into a fit of severe depression for about 20 minutes. However this is the first dose, and may take a few to build up the necessary concentration.

I'll try to keep you updated, however I don't check this board.

For archival record, gsteinbxerg at gmail dot com is my personal eMail (remove the x in the middle. I put this there so spam bots won't find it.)

I tried St.John Wort and it didn't work for me at all. I tried Melatonin 3 or Kava Kava to get to sleep and that does help you relax and sleep. Be careful not to take too much though.
I counsel people all the time and have tried short term counseling before. I've never had drugs pushed on me during those sessions.

 

[ConcreteAngel]

I understand you not wanting to use medications however just thought I'd mention that the vast majority of prescription anti-depressants today (ie SSRI's) are not habit-forming. Be careful with St Johns wort...there's also some negative studies.

 

[phoenixgw]

St. John's Wort elevates seretonin levels & is recommended for mild cases of depression. 5-HTP works the same way, but is stronger.

Kava kava is banned in Canada due to concerns of permanent liver damage. SSRI (selective seretonin reuptake inhibitors) are highly addictive (I took Effexor, I know) and should never be taken with 5-HTP or SJW (google 'seretonin syndrome').

Anxiety is worrying about the future. Depression follows after anxiety wears the body down. The anxiety/depression cycle is a crucible that claims many lives & souls.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7 NKJV).

 

[junezephyr]

I wouldn't recommend St. John's Wort for anxiety, but it could help in a case of mild depression, assuming that you're not taking any prescription drugs. For anxiety, Valerian root may work better, but it can tend to make you really sleepy.

I'd recommend that you find a Naturopathic doctor or a Nutritionist who can make sure there aren't any biochemical reasons contributing to the depression/anxiety. This can really be very helpful, especially if you don't want to take prescription drugs. Nutrition is very important in treating depression/anxiety, because our bodies make our necessary chemicals/amino acids/etc from the food that we eat.

The internet is also a great resource, you can learn a lot from a simple google search.