Although statistics say that clinical depression affects about five percent of the American population, that number is most likely greatly underestimated. The truth is, thousands of people suffer from depression and stress related mental disorders but are either incorrectly diagnosed or never ask for help or treatment. For those who do, however, there is good news in the form of short-term cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and naturalistic depression treatments.
Among the latter are herbal medicines, homeopathy, yoga, aromatherapy, acupuncture and similar non-traditional, non-pharmaceutical treatments. Several well-recognized reports have shown that specific herbs act in much the same way as chemical medicines, balancing both neurotransmitters and hormones, with excellent results but without the occasionally debilitating side effects or withdrawal symptoms associated with prescription anti-depressants.
The leaves and flowers of St. John’s Wort, a plant found in both Europe and North America, have been used to cure depression for thousands of years both here and abroad. Another widely used plant is the West African Griffonia Simplicifolia, the seeds of which are used to make 5-HTP or 5-Hydroxytryptophan. This natural treatment helps stimulate the production of tryptophan, the amino acid that makes you feel so content and sleepy after a turkey dinner and which leads to the production of serotonin, the body’s own cure for depression.