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Herbs, Vitamins, & Minerals
I'm dabbling. As mentioned in another thread, my doctor took me off of xanax. And I'm looking for a replacement. I picked up Passionflower and Skullcap herbs today. I plan to experiment with each, not necessarily together, to see if anything works. I got about 4 different vitamins as well, which according to what I Googled, work great for anxiety.
So what herbs do you happen to take? And do you notice a difference? *Yes, I realize how dangerous herbs can be. If at all possible, let's avoid that debate!* |
Depression and anxiety:
I've used the passionflower with success for flying, but I don't use it otherwise. The above items are good for long-term therapy, whereas the passionflower seems more of a "localized" thing. You won't notice effects immediately. It would take weeks, if not a couple of months. |
What do you mean 'for flying?'
I got: - Calcium/Magnesium/D supplement - Fish oil - Zinc - B-50 - Buffered C (no acid - I'm sensitive to it) - and the aforementioned Passionflower and Skullcap |
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what about some other herb.
...you know, THAT herb. |
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My doctor recommended vitamin D for mood. She recommended 4000mg a day for 2 weeks and then 2000mg a day thereafter. Most people are D deficient. I've found that it does help. D is fat-soluble, so be sure to take it with food.
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Zinc isn't quite dangerous; you can technically take quite a bit of it, but it starts to interact with the absorption of other things. (Copper, for example.)
Plus I haven't come across anything that would indicate it having a benefit outside of what you can get in a quality multivitamin. Mine has 20mg, which is plenty I think. People take it for colds because it's good for your immune system. Quote:
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I probably should have picked up a multi. Just decided not pass on it for some reason. I'll consider it.
And check yo pm's! edit - this zinc had 50 mg's. I'll research more before I open it lol. |
P.O.T.
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Be sure to check your multivitamin. If you get one with anywhere between 15 and 30 mg, it should be more than enough, especially if you eat animal-derived foods.
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I take B100 complex
Multivitamin Cal Mag D Flax Seed Oil (I had absolutely horrible knees before I started taking this, now they are perfect!) |
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Did you mean to say your doctor recommended 4,000IU, then 2,000IU? Because 2,000mg = 2 million mcg, which would put it at 80 million IU.... :surprised: Quote:
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Ok - I realize I'm probably going to come off as a jerk, which I don't mean to, but if I do, I'm sorry. It's your body, and up to you what you decide to take, or not.
That said, herbal 'supplements' are a special pet peeve of mine. Let me explain. First, if a given supplement is effective for a given condition (which is entirely possible - many medicines are derived from natural sources), then it's logical that some combination of chemicals in that supplement cause that effect. So, instead of taking a supplement, which due to a lack of regulation, and the fact that different sources may have different amounts of the chemicals that do have a positive effect, might have anywhere from 'not enough' to 'too much'. Second, anything that has an effect can have side-effects. It's silly to assume that only pharmaceuticals have side effects. Again, due to lack of regulation, lack of study, and the aforementioned variable dosage, there's very little to tell a consumer what side effects a supplement might have, or what possible interactions there might be. Finally, taking a supplement, if done in place of taking an actual medication, could be a very bad idea. A couple of articles to back myself up: the difference between a drug and a supplement Is that 'natural' supplement so natural? And...multivitamins |
robot_parade, I tend to only take supplements that have had numerous (relevant) studies done on them and are manufactured by reputable companies. Not to mention supplements that are standardized for potency (for example, in the case of ginkgo biloba and fish oil).
Although most supplements aren't regulated like drugs are, there are international third-party organizations that provide testing, certifications for best practices, guidelines for standards, and quality control. There are risks associated with many things. Some risks are bigger than others. But for many "mainstream" supplements, if you follow the directions on the package, they are generally safe. It's always good to do your research when it comes to concerns regarding interactions with one another and if you're taking drugs at the same time. Many of these supplements are being recommended by Western doctors now. So you could always consult a GP about them, as one should. |
Beroca and Hypericum here. Works well for me, but who knows, could all be headology.
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I figured all this was common sense by now tho. I mean, I've been aware of this for years and have personally had a horrible reaction to Valerian in conjunction with my daily head meds. Which is why I did my homework this time around. I may be taking a chance with the Skullcap. But Passionflower's not known to have any adverse side effects. |
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Just bear in mind that this isn't the purview of this thread. |
I came across this interesting story posted on CNN.com via Health.com. It discusses the link between heart disease, depression, and vitamin D deficiency.
According to this information, there's a good chance that most people don't get enough of the D and an increasing number of researchers are suggesting raising the current safe upper limit of 2,000 IU daily, and even governments are considering bumping up the current recommend daily intake of 200 to 600 IU. Quote:
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I knew about D and seasonal depression, but wasn't aware of the link with heart disease patients. My Father recently had open heart surgery and he was definitely depressed for weeks afterwards, but from what I understood, it's common. I wonder if it may have been due to being cooped up indoors possibly?
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I don't know. They're still figuring this out somewhat.
All I know is that I live in Canada and spend more than 99% of my time indoors. And when I do go out in the sun, I cover up with hats/clothes and/or sunscreen...moley as I am, it is to protect myself....but that probably means I'm vitamin D deficient if this data continues on the course it's going. |
Would the 15 minutes really make a difference on you? I know some people who are super sensitive to the sun that way.
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I'm not sensitive to the sun. I'm just a part of that set who's paranoid about skin cancer.
The 15 minutes/day would probably be fine, except it's said that at this time of year in places such as Canada the sun isn't strong enough. It isn't strong enough for more than half the year. Plus the 15 minutes thing only applies if you have your arms and legs uncovered. I'm not doing that when I can see my breath. :) The other thing too is smog. I live in the "Big Smoke." |
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Supplements to the rescue then. lol |
Yeah, every so often, I look at the supplements I take and think, "This isn't what nature intended."
BUT: I'm not living how nature intended. I live in a big pollution/smog-riddled city, I use artificial lighting, I live most of my time in an artificially controlled indoor environment, I have little idea where my food comes from or how it was grown.... etc. What's one more artificial aspect added to the mix if it is beneficial to what is ideal? If it corrects what is missing from the mix due to the detrimental effects of the other things? I'm now currently taking a vitamin D supplement, though I have stopped using ginkgo biloba. |
Still trying to weigh out this whole skullcap deal. I'm definitely seeing a difference. But at the same time, I've had changes in head meds too so I don't know where this positivity is coming from. I'm self medicating, if you will. Not always a good thing, but no destructive side effects yet lol.
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Well, with things such as skullcap, I tend to only use it for situational things. I haven't used skullcap, but as I mentioned above, I do use passionflower for flying.
I'm not sure about taking it regularly though. When it comes to anxiety/relaxation remedies, I normally use it as needed and reach for passionflower, chamomile, hops, valerian, etc. Normally in tea. But there's something relaxing in having the tea in itself though. |
So would you say Passionflower is fast acting? Or do you take it weeks in advance before you fly? I can't seem to find that info out. Same regarding skullcap. Ideally, I'm hoping I can just take them as needed instead of part of a daily regimen. But according to the directions, it looks like I do need to take them regularly.
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Passionflower is fast acting in the same way I've found chamomile et al. In the past, I've taken passionflower capsules and sipped on chamonmile tea from Tim Hortons while waiting to board the plane, and to great effect I might add.
It wears off fairly quickly too (a few hours maybe), I'm assuming when it metabolizes. So it's not like a long-term therapeutic thing like ginseng or gingko it, which may take weeks for them to kick in and a while to wear off when you stop. They're basically sedatives. |
Ok - yeah, I'm after anxiety killers. It's been an issue for quite some time.
I'll try out the passionflower next time I'm wound up. And I do drink Yogi Chamomile tea from time to time (it's very good.) I've mainly focused on the skullcap for the past week'ish. Thanks for the info! Don't be surprised if I hit you up again on something related in the future. You seem to know your stuff when it comes to supplements and such. :) |
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