AyurvedaHerbal Supplement (tea): Depression

ON-LINE PRESENTATION: HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS/HOMEOPATHIC

Ayurvedic Medicine Facts• One of the world’s oldest medical systems.• Ayurvedic physicians prescribe individualized treatments to include herbs, diet, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations.• Prana is the vital energy which is the source of all life and healing in the universe.• Treatment focuses on balancing the doshas – body type and temperament.• Body and mind are connected to the environment through the five human senses which correspond to elements within nature.• The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness.• Spiritual progression and stress relief are necessary to achieve health.

The Elements and AyurvedaYour body and mind are intricately connected to your environment and to the universe, and where there is imbalance, illness and disorder ensue.

Air – Movement

Fire – Heat and Light

Earth – Matter

Ether – Space

Water – Fluid

http://www.vancouveryoga.com/ayurveda_article.html

Doshas• An individual’s distinct combination of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics.

Herbs (tea): St. John’s Wort for DepressionManufacturer

Claim Dosing Active Ingredient(s) & strength

Cost

Yogi Supports Emotional Balance

Bring water to boiling and steep 5 to 10 minutes. For a stronger tea, use 2 tea bags. Drink 3 to 4 cups a day.

Organic St. John’s Wort Leaf and Flower (843 mg)

Blend of Herbs: Fennel Seed, Cinnamon Bark, Spearmint Leaf, Cardamom Seed, Ginger Root, Lavender Flower, Fenugreek Seed, Clove Bud, Black Pepper, St. John’s Wort Plant Extract (1383 mg)

$5.19 for 16 bags at David’s Natural Market

Active Ingredient: St. John’s Wort Leaf & Flower

• Therapeutic ingredients are thought to include hypericin, pseudohypericin and various xanthones.• These chemicals elevate

dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain which improve one’s mood.• Low side effects because it is

natural – a weed with yellow flowers.• May reduce symptoms in

people with mild-to-moderate but not severe (or major) depression.

http://youtu.be/v9FcZQwn3lc

ClinicalTrialResults

• NIH-funded study shows that an extract of the herb St. John’s Wort was no more effective for treating major depression of moderate severity than placebo.• The multi-site trial, involving 340

participants, also compared the FDA-approved antidepressant drug sertraline (Zoloft®) to placebo as a way to measure how sensitive the trial was to detecting antidepressant effects.• The trial was launched in response to

growing use of St. John’s Wort in the United States and a need for more definitive data on its use for different types of depression.• A person experiencing a major depressive

episode suffers from a depressed mood or loss of interest in normal activities that lasts most of the day nearly every day for at least 2 weeks.• Study participants’ initial diagnosis and

severity of depression were confirmed.

Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group. Effect of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. ; 287(14):1807–1814.

http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/stjohnswort

Yogi ~ St. John’s Wort Blues Awayhttp://www.yogiproducts.com/products/details/st.-johns-wort-blues-away/

1 months supply cost = $28.14

Manufacturer Claims

Promotes a sense of calm

Eases common tensions and nervous unrest

Allopathic Alternative – Zoloft

https://www.zoloft.com/

1 months supply cost=

$10-$15 depending on dosage

Manufacturer Claims

Zoloft is approved by the FDA to treat Major Depressive Disorder.

Available in multiple strengths – tablets in 25, 50, and 100 mg.

The active ingredient is sertraline hydrochloride.