St. John’s Wort: Natural Help for Moods

More and more people feel unable to cope with the high demands of their everyday professional and family life. Nervousness, concentration disorders, exhaustion or imbalance are possible reactions of the body. If these disorders are not treated or the causes are not eliminated, many people react with depressive mood states or psychovegetative disorders, even depression. Psychovegetative disorders are mentally caused physical complaints that are not based on organic diseases.

Possible causes of moodiness

There are a number of possible triggers for upsets, such as:

  • Hormonal changes
  • Interpersonal problems
  • Lack of light in the winter months
  • Increasing life demands
  • Sensory overload
  • Physical illnesses

St. John’s wort: effect

For mild moods, St. John’s wort can help. St. John’s wort has a mood-lifting effect – strong nervous stimuli such as anxiety, panic or nervousness are shielded, so to speak. The advantage over many other drugs: St. John’s wort cannot be addictive and is very well tolerated.

Drugs made from this plant are highly valued in the treatment of depression. The extract works at least as well as synthetic drugs in mild and moderate forms of depression. Patients respond to St. John’s wort as well and twice as well as to placebos (dummy drugs). It makes people calmer, more composed, and more resistant to everyday stress.

Side effects of St. John’s wort

The full effectiveness of this medicine starts only after about two weeks. One possible adverse effect is increased sensitivity of the skin to the sun. People with fair skin in particular should not be exposed to the sun for too long while taking St. John’s wort, as sunburn may occur more quickly.

Taking St. John’s wort can have an adverse effect on certain medications, such as heart medications containing digoxin, some antidepressants, anticoagulants, or a medication that suppresses the rejection reaction after organ transplants.

It is best to discuss whether taking St. John’s wort is appropriate for you with your doctor.

What else can you do? 8 tips!

Other ways to mitigate and prevent upsets include:

  1. Learn to distance yourself.
  2. Trace causes of upsets in your life.
  3. Practice relaxation techniques, for example, in anti-stress seminars.
  4. Set priorities in your life.
  5. Seek help when you can no longer get ahead yourself.
  6. The mood elevator serotonin is found in carbohydrate-rich foods such as pasta, beans, potatoes, bananas or in sweets, especially chocolate.
  7. Take advantage of every ray of sunshine for a walk.
  8. Eat healthy with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

What to look for when you are upset?

In the case of depression that goes beyond an upset, for example, persists for a long time, or if a mental illness is suspected, a doctor should be consulted in any case. Patients suffering from sleep disturbances, anxiety or physical symptoms should also see their doctor.

St. John’s wort for winter depression

In autumn and winter, the lack of light delays the breakdown of the hormone melatonin. As a result, we feel tired and low in drive even during the day. In addition, the lack of sunlight means that not enough of the mood elevator serotonin is produced. Regularly occurring depressive symptoms in fall or winter are called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression. Gloom, sadness, emptiness, anxiety are the typical signs of depression.

If there is also fatigue, cravings for sweets, exhaustion and weight gain, this indicates SAD, which begins in the fall months and ends in the spring. Comforting for many sufferers: the depressive symptoms subside again by early summer at the latest. It must be clearly distinguished from genuine depression, which is independent of the season and is usually accompanied by loss of appetite, weight loss and sleep disturbances. In severe cases, specialist care is absolutely necessary.