Written By: Kate Clark, from Nourishing Minds Nutrition and The Rooted Place

Mental health is quickly becoming a mainstream topic. Your favorite influencers on Instagram are talking about it, new employee protocols are being made around it, and the app store is overflowing with new resources to care for your mind.

All I have to say is: it’s about time!

Poor mental hygiene can lead to full blown, yet hard to see, mental illness. Depression is just one of the many diseases that our brains can struggle from, but since it’s the number one most common in the US, that’s the one we’re focusing on today. Of course, there are many ways depression can grow within an individual, and some people are more susceptible to the illness than others.

With many onset opportunities, comes many different management approaches. Depression is complex, so treatments that work for one person, may not work for another. Treatment plans include psychotherapy, finding purpose, implementing exercise, community involvement, anti-depressant medication, and more. Awkwardly, there are complaints of the known negative side effects from traditional anti-depressant medications commonly prescribed by doctors.

Can supplements help?

Ah, supplements, another trending topic. Something to keep in mind is that supplements are never intended to treat, diagnose, or cure disease.

So, as you might have guessed, no, supplements cannot cure depression. Unfortunately, depression is not that simple. If it were, there likely would not be over 17 million adults in the US suffering from depression, right this moment. However, there is one supplement out there that may be able to provide some relief.

If you’re suffering from depression, you deserve relief.

Let me introduce you to St. John’s Wort. A supplement that has been talked about in all the wellness magazines, and popular blogs. It’s a rather “in” pill these days. You might have seen it in the isles of whole foods. Its most commonly found in bottles with labels like “mood support” or “stress support”. If you read a bit closer, the marketing on these products promises almost nothing. Why? Because it’s not FDA approved, and like we already talked about, claims of curing cannot be made by supplements.

So, does it help or does it not?

Although St. John’s Wort hasn’t been tested by the FDA, it has been heavily studied by individual researchers. It would take forever to go through every piece of credible research on this supplement and summarize it for you, so, that’s why I found a meta-analysis on it for you. A meta-analysis review does exactly that; sums up all the previous credible research, in one digestible form. They’re essentially a scientific study on other scientific studies, creating highly credible resources.

So far, we know that St. John’s Wort may be able to improve the heaviness associated with depression. It’s done so in over 3,800 studied individuals! When compared to the effects of prescribed antidepressant medications, St. John’s Wort showed the same results.

How is this possible?

Essentially, St. John’s Wort helps increase the uptake of our “happy” hormones, like serotonin and dopamine. Which is the same intention of the antidepressants (or, SSRIs) that doctors prescribe for their clinically depressed patients. The hook is that St. John’s Wort doesn’t have the many negative side effects that these antidepressants. This means, individuals with depression may be able to follow through with their treatment plans better on St. John’s Wort, due to less of the unwanted side effects that typically steer users off the supportive meds.

With all this being said, depression feels different for everyone. The only way to know if St. John’s Wort can help your specific symptoms, is to try it out, but only after you check with your doctor. The risks have been heavily studied and consistently reported as low. Remember that big meta-analysis I mentioned earlier? They deemed St. John’s Wort “superior safety” to standard SSRIs. With this being said, you must consult with your doctor before testing this out for yourself.

I’ll leave you with some things to consider:

It’s an investment. Since St. John’s Wort is trending right now, it’s not cheap to get. One serving is around .50 cents.

It’s part of a whole healing approach: Meaning, if this supplement if this is the only action being taken towards healing the depression, it’s likely not going to work. St. John’s Wort is part of a holistic approach to healing depression. Other interventions must be considered along with it. And ya’ll know we are alllllll about that whole-istic approach here at NMN.

There is no guarantee: Although the studies done on this supplement have incredibly positive results in decreasing symptoms related to depression, there are no guarantees or promises from any researcher, or company, that St. Joh’s Wort will cure depression.

The possible side effects: Though normally well tolerated, St. John’s Wort has been recorded to cause possible nausea, skin irritation, fatigue, anxiety, and restlessness.

Drug Interactions: The number one red flag for this supplement; drug interactions. There are quite a few that have been shown to negatively interact with St. John’s Wort and you can find them here. This is a very serious piece of information that must be reviewed by anyone thinking about giving this supplement a try.

Depression is heavy, but it can be treated. Working with a therapist can help narrow down the best path for each individual looking to manage this illness. St. John’s Wort may be able to provide some extra relief and support, too. I hope you feel informed and empowered. If you are feeling the weight of depression, please reach out for support wherever you feel comfortable. If you feel like there is no one you can tell while staying safe, Crisis Text Line is always available for you, 24/7.