VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Dominika Wilk
Depression is a brain disease and, like any other condition, requires pharmacological treatment. However, there are supplements for depression - herbs and vitamins that support the effects of drugs and at the same time support the transmission of the desired neurotransmitters. Find out what these substances are and how they can alleviate symptoms of depression.
What is depression?
Depression is a condition where certain areas of the brain malfunction. It is a fatal disease, because 10 percent. cases end in suicide. It is by no means a momentary bluff, a deep sense of sadness that you can break out of when something positive happens in your life.
Depression is characterized by anhedonia - the inability to experience positive emotions. Depressed mood, loss of vital energy, lack of a visible purpose in life, insomnia or difficulty falling asleep, slower thinking, thoughts of suicide, avoiding social interactions, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, low self-esteem - these are just some of the symptoms of depression. To be able to talk about depression, these symptoms must appear several at once and must appear in intensity and last for a long time.
The fact that depression is a disease is evidenced by the visible changes in the brain of people who suffer from it. For example, there is an evident reduction in the hippocampus - the brain structure responsible for remembering information. It can be reduced by up to 10%. The reduced volume also applies to such brain structures as the frontal lobes and the prefrontal cortex. They are responsible for information processing and working memory.
How can supplements help people with depression?
Supplements are concentrated foods that may contain vitamins, herbs, or minerals that are designed to replenish nutrient deficiencies in the diet and thus strengthen the body, improve its functioning, or provide other he alth benefits.
Supplements, unlike drugs, are not clinically tested, which means that their beneficial effects on he alth have not been proven in a certain number of people. Nevertheless, they can bring positive effects, filling vitamin deficiencies and thus eliminating the cause of certain disordersphysiological or influencing herbal extracts calming or stabilizing the nervous system.
Supplements, including those used in depression, can take the form of alcoholic extracts, dragées, capsules or powdered herbs.
Depending on the recommendations of the doctor or dietitian, they can be used simultaneously with pharmacological drugs - as a form of support, or alone, as some of them may have undesirable interactions with medicinal products. The dose and method of using the supplement are selected individually for each clinical case and adjusted to the overall condition of the patient and symptoms.
Supplements for depression with St. John's wort
St. John's wort is a herb that has long been known for its mood-boosting properties and reducing symptoms of depression. However, the main substance responsible for these activities has not been identified. Previously, it was thought that it was hypercin, which inhibits the breakdown of certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which promotes well-being.
However, after careful research, it turned out that there are more of this type of beneficial compounds (eg hyperforin or flavonoids) and it is not known which of them is the leader when it comes to antidepressant activity. It is worth emphasizing - in alleviating depression, water alcoholic extracts from St. John's wort are used.
It is known that the hypercine found in St. John's wort can inhibit the production of interleukins: IL-6 and IL-1β, which contributes to the resolution of many unfavorable symptoms related to depression. These interleukins are produced during inflammation and also appear during depression (or predispose to it more).
They stimulate the nervous system to excessive production of cortisol and are responsible for the depressed mood and physical malaise. The use of St. John's wort allows you to block the effects of interleukins, and thus reduce the susceptibility to the occurrence of depressive symptoms.
There is scientific evidence that when the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body decreases in people suffering from depression and they reach the same level as in he althy people, symptoms characteristic of depression, such as memory impairment, depressive mood, disappear , anxiety, decreased libido, sleep and memory disorders, irritability.
Another of the properties of hypercine worth emphasizing is the one that makes it a good inhibitor of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. This means that it works like many antidepressants that contain compounds that inhibit monamine reuptake.
Many studies confirm the effectiveness of St. John's wortalleviating the symptoms of depression, including one in which 94 volunteers taking St. John's wort had better he alth benefits than those taking a placebo. Another study found that this herb can be as effective as tricyclic antidepressants such as imipramine.
The study involved 189 patients who used St. John's wort and 150 people who took antidepressants, and in the group of people using St. John's wort, a better healing effect was obtained. However, it is alleged that the imipramine administered to the participants was in too low doses and therefore the appropriate treatment effect was not obtained.
There are also studies that have compared the effects of St. John's wort and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors fluoxetine. They found that both the herbal group and the drug group had similar results in relieving symptoms of depression. However, the St. John's wort group had significantly fewer side effects than the participants taking the medication.
Although St. John's wort has a number of benefits when it comes to improving the mood and he alth of people suffering from depression, it may not be used in every case. As it is sensitizing to sunlight, it should not be taken in the summer.
In addition, it weakens the effect of many medications, e.g. contraceptives, so using it simultaneously with hormonal contraception may lead to an increased risk of pregnancy. Also, this herb should not be combined with antiviral and anticancer drugs, because it can reduce the effect and concentration of drugs.
In turn, when using it simultaneously with antidepressant drugs based on serotonin reuptake, there may be a risk of serotonin syndrome. With sedative, anticonvulsant drugs, such as barbiturates, it may increase the effects of these drugs and increase the risk of side effects.
Supplements for depression with saffron
Saffron is a well-known and valued spice, and at the same time it is a plant willingly used to relieve symptoms of depression. The active ingredients in saffron are crocin, crocetin and safranal. They have the ability to minimize the symptoms of depression by inhibiting glutamatergic transmission, which is responsible for significant stimulation of NMDA glutamatergic receptors.
In depression there is a surplus of glutamate, which is responsible for the regulation of a large number of neurons, and therefore the body experiences certain disorders from the side of the nervous system. Each of the neurotransmitters in the brain, inclglutamate works through specific receptors - in this case NMDA. Therefore, by regulating the activity of the receptor, you can modify the amount of the neurotransmitter flowing to the brain.
Saffron, by inhibiting NMDA receptors (similarly to some antidepressants), is able to modify disorders caused by excess glutamate in the body and GABA deficiency (because it is related to each other). The effect is to reduce some of the symptoms characteristic of depression.
Saffron can tolerate the severity of depression symptoms - as shown by placebo studies, where after 6 weeks of using saffron, the depression symptoms distinguished on the Hamilton Depression Scale significantly decreased (in the saffron group they dropped by 12 points, and in the placebo group by 5 points ).
In addition, studies have been carried out to compare the effects of saffron and antidepressants such as imipramine and found to have similar therapeutic results. Saffron caused fewer side effects such as dry mouth or drowsiness. In turn, a study with fluoxetine (20 mg / day for 6 weeks), a drug belonging to the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, showed that both the pharmacological drug and saffron produced the same therapeutic results in depression and similar side effects.
Supplements for depression with lavender
Lavender is a plant whose essential oils and extracts from it have anxiety-reducing properties. How does this relate to depression? Well, people suffering from depression have a significantly elevated level of cortisol, which can cause anxiety disorders to join the already existing ailments.
Also, excessive stimulation of noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurons predisposes people with depression to an increased risk of manic states, so reducing the excitation of the nervous system and silencing it, e.g. with lavender, is highly recommended.
Lavender's activity in reducing tension and anxiety is primarily due to its effect on GABA receptors - a neurotransmitter that inhibits the activity of neurons. Research on mice shows that inhaling linalool - one of the components of lavender essential oil - to rodents, calmed the animals without any impaired motor functions. This shows that lavender oil in the form of inhalation reduces the feeling of anxiety.
Lavender by itself is not nearly as powerful an antidepressant as it does when combined with a drug. For example, when associating it withwith imipramine, lavender tincture works much better than when taken alone. It also works well in combination with citalopram.
Studies by Parvin et al. Showed that the drug based on dried lavender flowers combined with citalopram worked much better in people with depression than in combination with a placebo (the studies lasted 2 months and 80 people participated in them) .
Supplements for depression with omega-3 acids
It is more and more often said that omega-3 acids are essential for maintaining mental he alth, which include: EPA, DHA and alpha-linolenic acid. First of all, they are anti-inflammatory, and in people with depression it is desirable to reduce inflammation.
In addition, they protect neurons and ensure the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Due to the fact that they compete for the same enzyme as omega-6 fatty acids, the proportion of both types of fatty acids in the diet is very important. When there is too much omega-6, inflammatory processes increase, and this is undesirable when trying to restore balance in the activity of the nervous system.
Since the sources of omega-3 fatty acids are not so much in the diet, mainly fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, or linseed or hemp oil, it is worth supplementing DHA and EPA acids in the form of capsules or in the form of liquid to achieve the right balance between omega-3 and omega-6.
Why, for example, EPA acid can be helpful in relieving depression? Research shows that it improves blood flow, so that more nutrients, as well as glucose, can reach the brain, which at the same time improves brain function and can improve mood.
How else can omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on the activity of the nervous system? They improve the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons, as they are part of cell membranes, and thus facilitate the transmission of serotonin. On the other hand, the anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 acids mainly concerns the reduction of arachidonic acid levels and the reduction of prostaglandin production.
The largest study confirming the effectiveness of the use of omega-3 acids in alleviating depression symptoms was carried out by J. R. Hibbeln. He studied 35,000 people from thirteen countries and found significant links between eating fish (the main source of omega-3 fatty acids) and a reduced risk of developing depression (people who did not eat omega-3s were more likely to develop the disease).
On the other hand, a study by Tiemeier and his associates who studied 106 people over 60 with depressive symptoms showed that in people with depression compared toas a control group, it is actually found that the level of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids is lower.
Taiwanese tested omega-3 fatty acids in combination with traditional methods of therapy and, as their research results show, after 4 weeks participants supplementing omega-3 fatty acids significantly improved their results compared to the control group taking a placebo (this was compared to to the Hamilton Scale, where there were statistically significant differences between the two groups).
Supplements for depression with vitamins
Important vitamins that help to alleviate the symptoms of depression are: vitamin B9 (folic acid) and vitamin B12. Importantly, they influence each other, e.g. vitamin B12 deficiency determines the deficiency of folic acid, and this in turn results in e.g. hippocampal atrophy (deficiency of neurons in this part of the brain).
As already mentioned, people with depression experience a significant percentage reduction in the hippocampus. It can therefore be presumed that one of the factors contributing to this is the insufficient supply of vitamin B12 and folic acid. However, an adequate amount of these vitamins in the diet is not enough.
There are factors that may interfere with the absorption and production of these vitamins. They include, among others gastritis, leaky gut, or bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary, in addition to the diet, an additional supply of folic acid or vitamin B12 in the form of a supplement.
Why are folates so important in the human diet? Because the lower their level, the higher the risk of depression. They are involved in the synthesis of serotonin, the level of which is often disturbed in people with depression. They are also needed for the synthesis of dopamine and norepinephrine.
Folate deficiency translates into lower effectiveness of pharmacotherapy, so in people whose antidepressants work too weakly, it is worth examining the level of folic acid. It is assumed that a dose of 0.8 mg of folate daily has already contributed to the relief of depression symptoms.
Vitamin B12 deficiency also makes the body less sensitive to antidepressants. In people whose effectiveness of treatment with antidepressants was low, and in whom vitamin B12 (including folic acid) in the amount of 1000 mg was used for 2 weeks, then it was reduced to 500 mg per day, and after a month to 200 mg / day, the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy has significantly improved.
Supplements for depression with zinc
Many theories about the development of depression are related to the suggestion that increased glutamate transmission may be associated with the development of this disease, and inhibition - with its suppression. In conjunction withthis is why substances that would inhibit glutamate binding receptors, including NMDA.
One of them may be zinc, which blocks NMDA to some extent. In addition, as research shows, it affects the modulation of serotonergic transmission and enhances the effect of antidepressants, thanks to which its supplementation seems to be recommended in people with drug-resistant depression or in need of additional support in the treatment of depression.
Supplements for depression - probiotics
Probiotics not only have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora, but can also modulate the mood. This is because the brain-gut axis is connected via the vagus nerve. For example, beneficial bacteria are able to increase the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which in turn regulates the level of glutamic acid - responsible for e.g. for accelerating anxiety or stress reactions.
If there is a balance between GABA and glutamic acid, your mood improves. Therefore, it can be assumed that maintaining the proper intestinal microflora, thanks to the use of probiotics, can bring quick relief to people suffering from depression.
Probiotics are not preparations that are intended to populate the human intestines. However, by taking them, we can provide the body with beneficial bacteria that will compete for some time for food and space on the intestinal epithelium, with unfavorable bacteria, for example causing inflammation, thanks to which the number of pathogens will decrease.
The beneficial effect of probiotics on the improvement of the mental state of people with depression is confirmed by two meta-analyzes: one from 2016 and the other from 2022. The former described 5 randomized clinical trials with placebo, where it was shown that probiotics improve mood both in he althy people and those suffering from depression.
In turn, the second one from 2022, in addition to the 5 studies mentioned above, also described 5 additional clinical trials, in which probiotics were taken by both he althy people and those with depression. It showed that people with both mild and moderate depression showed a reduction in symptoms, and in he althy people it did not matter and did not determine their mood.