Herbs that help with Depression

So I went to a radical herbalist gathering recently and in one of the workshops they were talking about herbal allies for mental health. This topic interested me a lot so I would like to share with you a bit of what I learned. I will look at herbs that help with depression in particular. The two herbs they looked at were St. John’s Wort and Devil’s club.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

These plants grow about three feet tall with small yellow flowers and small oval shaped leaves. It is a plant indigenous to Europe, which has been introduced to many temperate areas of the world and grows wild in many areas.

It is not specifically as effective with people who have severe or chronic depression. However it has been known to help people who have periodic depression. It helps ease symptoms like loss of energy, numbness, nervous agitation and feeling stuck. The amount of time it takes to feel its effects vary and can be quick or take a few weeks.

Caution: It is rare but there is a slight chance of having a phototoxic reaction to St. John’s wort (a negative reaction to sunlight). It also can induce mania in people specifically prone to it.

This plant has lower side effects than anti-depressants and is cost effective.

Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridum)

This plant has a big central stalk covered in spines and huge umbrella-like lobed leaves. In the spring they grow red coned berry clusters and in the winter they lose all their leaves and a brown spiky stalk is all that remains. They predominately exist in dense, moist, old growth conifer forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Devil’s club mostly helps people who have low energy and who are going through physical and mental stress. It actually has been seen to decrease the intensities of hypothalamus and pituitary stress response. It is strengthening and energizing and is beneficial for people with autoimmune disorders. This plant helps with hyper and hypoglycaemia and type 2 diabetes as it regulates blood sugar. It is also an expectorant that increases mucous secretions.