Herbs and Supplements
Many patients with mild to moderate depression are interested in taking herbs or supplements instead of pharmaceuticals to treat their depression. Over the years, and even centuries, literally hundreds of different substances have been tried and touted as cures for depression. Today, patients can find dozens of different products for sale in health food shops or on the Internet, with each product promising to be the "right" treatment.
Important questions for patients to ask when choosing a product to treat their depression include:
Which herbs and supplements actually work?
How do they determine the appropriate treatment?
Is the product they choose safe and unadulterated?
The truth is that evidence from clinical trials on almost all natural substances has been mixed, but three herbs/supplements appear to have the greatest evidence of efficacy. In the following section, we will discuss the herb St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), and the supplements SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) and 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan). Each of these substances has been used extensively to treat patients with depression and at least one randomly controlled clinical trial provides evidence that each can effectively treat patients suffering from depression.
Continue on to learn information about St. John's Wort.