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Natural Herbal Depression Remedies

Because of all the publicity of the harsh - even deadly - effects of some drugs prescribed for depression, many more people than ever before are searching for natural alternatives to this health condition.

And there are plenty of options from which to choose.  Many of those selections are in the form of herbs.  If you decide to go this route though you need to keep in that you should not augment your prescription medication with herbal supplements that treat the same condition.  For example, mixing St. John's Wort with prescription antidepressants can be hazardous.

In fact, it's a great idea before embarking on any alternative treatment program to check with your personal care physician and a professional herbalist.  Please keep each informed to all of your medications – even those not related to your depression. 

Herbal treatment, is indeed, many find, a kinder, gentler way to help your body move past the sluggishness and fog as well as the black veil of moodiness that envelopes those suffering from depression.  One of the most popular herbs, individuals use is St. John's Wort. 

Used as an antidepressant, its effectiveness has withstood the scrutiny of many clinical trials and double blind studies.  This legendary herb seems to work better on alleviating the symptoms of depression, than many high quality prescription drugs on the market today.

Another potent antidepressant is licorice.  Don't let the name fool you.  It may sound like the candy you gobbled down as a kid.  The herb, used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, is an amazing source of the femail hormone, estrogen.  Believe it or not, both women and men are in need of this to stay healthy.  But more than that, licorice stimulates and regulates the body's adrenal glands.  And as an added bonus, it's also a powerful aid to the heart and circulatory system.

Ginseng is also the first choice of many people suffering from depression.  It's well known for balancing the hormonal state of the system while building a remarkable level of resistance against the ravages of stress.  It's also an energy-building supplement – and extra energy is something many individuals suffering from depression need desperately.

When searching for natural herbal remedies for depression, don't overlook gota kola.  A stimulator of the brain, this helpful herb combats the symptoms of "brain fog" that many experience during bouts of depression.  Gota kola also normalizes the hormonal and nervous systems of the body.  It's an astonishingly effective "pick-me-up" when it's combined with ginseng and cayenne. 

Fish Oils are said to have mild, mood balancing effects. These also contribute to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in your body, which can be a cause of depression as well.

In addition to using herbal remedies and supplements for treating depression, there are several natural ways to treat it as well. Meditation, Yoga, and Exercise are the three that give best results. Exercise particularly will increase your endorphins, and give you a bit of a "high". Meditation will help calm your nerves and relieve stress, while Yoga accomplishes both exercise and a form of meditation at the same time.

Traditional Uses Of Echinacea In History

Echinacea augustifolia was used traditionally by the American Indians and Eclectic herbalists in the 1800's and early 1900's. The following are extracts from Nature's Healing, by Samuel Thompson (ref Thompsonian medicine):

Antiseptic Enemas

In all conditions where an internal antiseptic is indicated, Tincture of Echinacea is the best. If this is to be reinforced, then Tincture of Myrrh may be added. As already mentioned, Potassium Permanganate is also a splendid antiseptic but in large doses is a poison. Plain water should at no time be employed as an enema as it is weakening.

Echinacea Angustifolia
Brauneria pallida-Rudbeckia pattida

Irrespective of all that has been said, written and printed anent Echinacea, the true Physio-Medicalist has found it to be the one supreme and dependable remedy to combat morbidity in the blood. Neither toxins nor serums have the potency in this direction that Echinacea has, and it leaves neither weakening nor deteriorating influence in the blood-stream.

"Echinacea is a corrector of the depravations of the body fluids," wrote Dr. Niederkorn in 1910, and this whether the morbific changes of the fluids of the body are internal, or caused by external introductions. Its use is indicated in septic infections, septicemia in its various forms, blood poisoning, ady-namic fevers, typhoid fever, cellular abscesses, salpingitis, carbuncles, cancerous cachexia, and in fevers or conditions where there is a bluish discoloration of the mucous membranes, tongue brownish or almost black, or when discharges are foul-in fact, in any or all conditions which point to sepsis.

Discriminating physicians of all schools have found it invaluable in infections, both internal and external, strumous conditions where an alternative is indicated, peritonitis, acute fevers, syphilitic conditions, puerperal infection, infections with tendency to abscess, bites and stings of poisonous insects and reptiles, in typhoid infections, blood perversions, toxemia with and without fever, septicemia, erysipelas, acute infections, gangrenous conditions, diphtheria, wherever there is a formation of pus, suppurations as in tonsilitis, infected sores and wounds (with Myrrh).

There is no morbid condition in which Echinacea is not indicated and its greatest benefit is made manifest, in typhoid fever.

When there is extreme morbidity, Myrrh, equal parts, should be combined with it. For internal use in these conditions, 5 drops Myrrh to every 10 drops of Echinacea, is the correct proportion. Echinacea is the one true alternative. In acute and dangerous conditions, Echinacea should be used hypo-dermically.

Dose: 5 to 30 drops every one to five hours, according tc the severity of the case. For external application always add Myrrh. As a gargle for sore throat, even in diphtheria, equal parts Echinacea and Myrrh.

A more modern understanding of echinacea can be found here.

Echinacea Supplement Quality And Phenolic Misinformation

The different species of echinacea have some common active constituents, and some are unique to a particular species. For example, all of the echinaceas have chemical compounds called phenols. Phenols have an antiseptic quality and can reduce inflammation when they are taken internally. Phenols common in herbal preparations include lignans (in flax), isoflavones, and flavanoids.

If you do a search on the internet on phenols in echinacea, you'll come up with a number of articles that seem to have been taken from the one source, so close is the language used in them. They include an entry on Wikipedia (possibly one source), that infers that the phenols are a good indicator of whether an echinacea preparation is effective. Consumer Labs also used phenols as a measure of quality, possibly as a result of all the publicity surrounding them.

Yet if you look at herbal medicine textbooks and other expert opinion, you can see this in a very different context. The website, Herbs And Apples, wrote this when discussing echinacea and phenolic compounds:

""Claims for the clinical superiority of standardized products are unethical commercialism and an attempt to dupe the public in the name of science," says Northwest herbalist Jonathan Treasure. "The starting quality of the herb used in the extraction process is far more relevant to quality of the final product than any laboratory manipulation or 'correction' during manufacture. Many companies offering standardized product start with crude herb purchased by third party brokers in the international marketplace, the provenance and quality of which is inevitably beyond their direct control. The old adage -- garbage in, garbage out -- is pertinent."

As an example, no one chemical or chemical group has been found solely responsible for echinacea's ability to stimulate the immune system. "Measuring the quality of an echinacea preparation based on total phenolic compounds is like judging the quality of an automobile based on its iron content," according to Rudolf Bauer, professor of pharmaceutical biology at Heinriche Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Manufacturers generally standardize echinacea products to either echinacoside, phenolic acids, or alkylamides. Echinacea purpurea does not contain the echinacoside (slated as having mildly antibacterial action in a 1950 study) found in Echinacea augustifolia and other species, so the "standard" more recently switched to total phenolic compounds.

Phenols are a large group of compounds, not all of which necessarily have an isolated medical use. The concentration of any and all phenols in a standardized extract of echinacea essentially assumes an across-the-board approach to biological activity. That numbing sensation on your tongue when you take an echinacea tincture can be attributed to the alkylamides, some of which have been shown to be immunostimulatory. Yet the debate of which chemical standard best defines the potency of echinacea has one outstanding resolution: Put your trust in the whole plant remedy."

An herbal medicine textbook I used, Materia Medica Of Western Herbs For The Southern Hemisphere (Fisher and Painter) listed the active ingredients of echinacea augustifolia and echinacea purpurea, and then made note of a few of them with an explanation of what scientific results have found. The phenols were not highlighted specifically.

The authors note:

• "The direct action of Echinacea appears to be through its ability to inhibit the action of hyaluronidase" - this is an enzyme pathogenic organisms use to impair the connective tissue in hosts and thus let the organisms enter and spread during an infection.
• "The whole extract of the herb and the polysaccharide fraction have also been shown, in vitro and in vivo, to stimulate the activity of macrophages and also the release of interferon and lymphokines - a part of the body's immune arsenal mediated through T-lymphocytes."
• The immune stimulating properties are associated with the polysaccharides, isobutylamides (an alkylamide), and the caffeic acid esters (these latter are phenols)

On the subject of the polysaccharides in echinacea, Paul Bergner makes this interesting point:

"The polysaccharides are insoluble in alcohol, but they are also digestible in the gut (they are sugars after all), meaning that are not the main active ingredients in echinacea in the first place. Echinacea was first discovered among the Indians who a) chewed the root, or b) juiced it. It was then carried into medical practice throughout the US in the form of a tincture. The tincture was so effective in so many conditions that it gained worldwide reputation. Scientific research into echinacea took place in Germany in the 1940s, and has been continuously researched ever since. ONE possible active ingredient is the polysaccharide fraction, but the alcohol soluble fraction is also immune stimulating. All the research on polysaccharides has been done on EXTRACTED polysaccharides INJECTED into test animals. They inject it because the substances would be destroyed by the gut. There's no reason to think the polysaccharides are necessary to get any of the wonderful benefits of the tincture that first brought this herb to world attention. (Paul Bergner, Editor, MEDICAL HERBALISM)

Other active constituents of echinacea include

• volatile oils (in Echinacea angustifolia - humulene)
• caffeic acid esters - including echinacoside and cynarin (phenolic compounds)
• isobutylamides ( in Echinacea angustifolia - echinacein)
• polyacetylenes
• resin
• betaine 0.3%

 

There are also trace amounts of:

• pyrrolizidine alkaloids (tussilagin and isotussilagin)
• sesquiterpene
• phytosterols, including b-sitosterol and inulin

 

Active Constituents In Herbal Medicine

Active constituents are the chemical molecules that scientists have identified as having a specific effect on our physiology. This effect is observed in the context of the herb as a whole, and in looking at the constituent in isolation from other elements of the herb.

The idea behind isolating active constituents and cataloging their effects is rooted in regular pharmaceutical science. Critics of this approach being applied to herbal medicine make the valid point that oftentimes, the effect of different constituents working together is greater than any individual effect. Thus, in adjusting the concentration of supplements to create a "standardized" extract, so-called inert or inactive parts of the plant may be removed. Yet these very parts may have an effect that isn't recognized by current scientific analysis.

However, there are benefits to standardized extracts. This includes providing the basis by which studies on their effect on people for certain conditions can be carried out in a meaningful way. Without standardization, you'd be comparing apples and oranges.

Crude extracts of herbs do have benefits however. They are not 'crude' in their benefits, if they are a good quality extract. This simply means they are a 'whole plant' extract, not a standardized extract. They may in fact have benefits not yet recognized by the scientific community.

Echinacea Species And Medicinal Function - Are We Limiting Ourselves

There are many types of echinacea plants, but not all of them are used for medicinal purposes. Generally, echinacea supplements are made from either echinacea purpurea, echinacea augustifolia, or echinacea pallida. This is probably because most studies have been done using one of the three. Another factor in this is that a lot of importance is placed on official German Commission E monographs, even in the US and other world markets. And echinacea pallida and echinacea purpurea are two species that have positive (ie approved) commission E. mongraphs.

These monographs were brought into prominence in American herbal culture by the American Botanical Council. However, Wikipedia has collated some of the problems with using these mongraphs as a source of guidance in herbal medicine, particularly to the exclusion of other scientific and traditional sources:

"As a result of this heavy promotion, Commission E is frequently confused with books on alternative medicine in the USA; but in fact, it is an administrative law book for German national regulation of herbs. As such, the book has attracted criticism for having a covert government agenda to assist commerce that is incompatible with science, medicine, and traditional, as well as experiential herbalist, systems of healing."

They further say:

"The best known critic of Commission E is Jonathan Treasure, MNIMH, a UK licensed medical herbalist[2] and author of numerous herbalism monographs[2]  Treasure's lengthy review[3] (31K) offers evidence in detail after detail that the book is not a work of science, medicine, or vitalist herbalism. Rather it is a book of German legal-medical regulations, since "In Germany, only those herbs with Commission E Approved status are (or will eventually become) legally available.""

Interestingly, a study that looked at the effect of different echinacea species on the immune response in the body, found a number of other species also had an effect. This study looked at the impact of the echinacea plants on the production of three cytokines which are associated with an immune response. The cytokines were interleukin–1ß (IL–1ß), interleukin–2 (IL–2), and tumor necrosis factor–a (TNF–a).

These species were found to "significantly" increase production of IL–1 ß and TNF–a

• Echinacea angustifolia
• Echinacea purpurea
• Echinacea paradoxa
• Echinacea simulata

They report that no extracts had any effect on IL-2.

The authors of the study also found that there were two "species-pairs" that, amongst other things, had "similar immune-response profiles". These species-pairs were:

• Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea simulata
• Echinacea pallida and Echinacea sanguinea

They wrote that each species-pair was at different ends of the spectrum compared to the other. And that the other echinacea species that weren't paired (Echinacea paradoxa, Echinacea purpurea, and Echinacea tennesseensis) were at different points within this spectrum. They used a dendrogram to get these results, which is defined as:

"A graphical procedure for representing the output of a hierarchical clustering method. A dendrogram is strictly defined as a binary tree with a distinguished root, that has all the data items at its leaves. Conventionally, all the leaves are shown at the same level of the drawing. The ordering of the leaves is arbitrary, as is their horizontal position. The heights of the internal nodes may be arbitrary, or may be related to the metric information used to form the clustering." (falcon.roswellpark.org/labweb/glossary.html)

Of course, this raises the question - do these other species of echinacea have medicinal properties that simply haven't been explored through either preliminary studies like the one above, or studies on their effects in people? It would be great if the herbal and scientific community were able to answer these questions.

Andrographis

Andrographis is nicknamed "Indian Echinacea", though this is misleading as they are completely different plants. It earned that nickname because it has some benefits similar to echinacea, although there are important differences too.

Andrographis is used in both Ayurvedic (Indian) traditional medicine, as well as Chinese traditional medicine. It is an immune stimulant, and has anti-viral, antibiotic, and anti-parasitic properties.

A number of studies have found that andrographis reduces the symptoms of colds and flu, and may also prevent it. One study found there was particular benefit with reducing sore throats, runny noses, earaches, and insomnia (related to the cold).

Dosage, and the quality of the preparation, appears to be important. One study that found andrographis reduced the symptoms of colds used 1200 mg per day with 5% andrographolide in the extract. Andrographolide is the active constituent believed to be responsible for these immune benefits. Good quality herbal preparations are standardized to a certain percentage of an active constituent. The only way to tell is to look at the label. If it doesn't mention anything, assume it isn't standardized and find another preparation, as it's unlikely to be a good quality one. Plus you have no way of knowing if you're taking the right amount.

Another study that found no benefit to colds and flu compared to the placebo also used 1,200 mg a day. And yet another study compared doses at 6,000mg and 3,000mg. It found 3,000mg was not effective yet 6,000mg was.

These discrepancies are probably due to the types of supplements used. Most andrographis supplements recommend 400mg 3 times a day - which equals 1,200mg per day. Given that there are such differences in the results, a good quality supplement should be a priority when using andrographis. Bear in mind that, even though no side effects were reported in the study that used 3,00mg and 6,000mg per day, if they used a supplement that was weaker than usual, you may get side effects in a stronger supplement at those doses.

So, it's best to follow the recommendations on the bottle.

Andrographis should be used with caution if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. And it should not be used if you are taking blood thinners like warfarin, clopidogrel, aspirin, enoxaparin, and dalteparin.

Saffron - A Depression Remedy

Saffron was an expensive spice in ancient times, and today remains the most expensive spice in the world. Whilst not a widely known remedy outside its' native Middle East or India, which adopted it early on, this colorful spice has some surprising health benefits.

A small study published on Pubmed looked to test whether the recommendations for using saffron to treat depression, found in some medicinal plant guides, had any basis in fact. Despite the recommendations in these herbal books, the authors of the study could find no scientific studies to support the claims, so they set out to find out for themselves.

They took 30 people who were established as suffering from major depression, and used a double blind study. Participants were either given 100mg per day of the antidepressant imipramine, or 30mg per day of saffron in a specially prepared capsule. The study went for 6 weeks and the results were favorable.

Saffron was found to be as effective as imipramine at that dose in treating the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Unlike imipramine, which had side effects like a dry mouth and drowsiness, saffron had no reported side effects. This makes it a potentially useful herb to treat depression.

The researchers do caution that the study was only small, and the results need to be tested on a larger population, but they also write that their results support those found in an earlier animal study.

Saffron is traditionally used in the Middle East to treat menstrual problems, sore throats, problems with labor, and inflammation.

Scientists have also found that it has an anti-tumor effect, is an antioxidant, and has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels.

Kidney Stones And Natural Herb Remedies

Nature may not have heard of the anti-discrimination board, at least as far as kidney stones are concerned. Whilst doctors aren't exactly sure why some people get kidney stones, it appears they favor Caucasian men, particularly from the age of 40 to 70+.

Oxalate rich foods like tea, coffee, strawberries, chocolate and cola (all the good things!) can increase the chance of a kidney stone forming in someone who is prone to them, but not in those who aren't. A family history of kidney stones is not a good sign. Neither are urinary tract infections, certain kidney disorders, and some metabolic conditions like hyperparathyroidism. And if you've had kidney stones before, there's a good chance others may follow (evidently they like company!)

Of course, anyone can get kidney stones. The peak danger time for women is in their 50's.

Generally, kidney stones will pass out themselves, though they are quite painful. And even if a kidney stone causes other complications, or persistent symptoms, it still doesn't necessarily need surgery, though that is always an option.

There are some herbal remedies that can assist in different stages of the journey. There are a number of herbs that generally support kidney and urinary tract health. These include bearberry, cornsilk, and stinging nettle. Many people take these herbs as part of a kidney cleanse, much like people do liver and colon cleansing.

Cornsilk is a soothing herb with mild, antiseptic properties. A lot of women use it to deal with urinary tract infections, as it reduces irritation in that part of the body. Nettle promotes urination - which is probably not a good thing if you're going on a long car journey or a trans-Atlantic flight. But in the case of kidney stone prevention, this can be a good thing. By promoting urination, minerals don't have a chance to build up in the kidneys and crystallize. Bearberry is a great cleansing herb for the urinary tract.

Other herbs, like marshmallow, can ease the passing of stones. Marshmallow has an anti-inflammatory effect, and is very soothing. And Goldenrod is actually quite specific in relation to kidney stones. Nature and Health write that it is a diuretic that helps eliminate them, "probably due to its flavaoid and saponin compounds (p28)".

References: Nature And Health, June-July, 2007

Supplement Your Immune System With Elderflower

When we think of boosting our immune system, or treating our colds and flu with herbs, we often think of echinacea. Now, echinacea is a great herb, but if you see a herbalist for relief from a cold or respiratory tract infection, they're likely to give you a mixture with elderberry in it.

You may have actually heard of elderflowers. Both the flowers and the berries of this plant (sambucus nigra for the botanical enthusiasts) are used, hence the differing common names.

They both have an expectorant effect (meaning you'll cough up phlegm), and they also promote sweating. Sweat is one of the body's elimination channels, and is considered a good thing by natural therapists (provided of, course, that this is not a chronic problem in and of itself).

The tincture and liquid extracts are generally used for conditions relating to catarrh - like hayfever and sinusitis. In this instance, one of the things elder will do is reduce congestion. Tinctures vary in concentration, and alcohol is usually used to extract he active constituents of the plant. Different methods of extracting these constituents are used because in some cases, alcohol is needed, and in other cases, hot water is preferred. It all depends on the types of active principles themselves.

Thus, if you want a particular effect, it's wise to take the type of preparation into consideration. It will affect the concentration (and type) of active constituents in that preparation, even when the same plant material is used. That's not to say that tea's (hot water extraction) are inferior. In fact, in the case of some things, like PSP coriolus supplements, hot water extraction is in fact superior to more 'technologically advance' methods.

Elderflower tea is excellent as a mouthwash that reduces oral inflammation. It can also be used as a gargle. And research from Bulgaria has found elderflower tea is an effective antiviral against herpes simplex type 1, which cause cold sores.

Research on the liquid extract of elder from Israel found it to be effective against 8 types of flu virus! It also boosts the immune system, literally - by increasing the production of cytokines, which are involved in the immune response.

So, the next time you need to supplement your immune system, check out elderberries. They can be made into a very inexpensive tea - just get dried herbs from your local health food shop. You can sweeten the tea with some good quality, unprocessed honey, and add some fresh lemon or lime juice for an additional immune boost.

References: Herb Garden Profile from Nature And Health, June-July, 2007