If you want a more well-researched herbal antidepressant, try St. John's Wort. It's pretty much a natural SSRI and has been shown to work for mild depression at a rate greater than placebo. But it does have drawbacks. Like all herbal medicines, it's difficult determine exactly how much of the active ingredient you're getting; so you would have to stick with the same batch of the same brand and adjust your dose up and down--made more problematic by the way it acts slowly just like most antidepressants do. But it is worth a try if you have mild depression, can't get to a doctor, or can't afford meds (though the cheapest ones are relatively affordable, and some are actually cheaper than St. John's wort). Beware that just like any medication, it can cause dangerous or distressing side effects (though these are rare, since it is relatively safe).
If a plant creates a "high", you don't want to use it medicinally for any length of time. Most sorts of "highs" will impair your cognitive functioning by causing you to relax or changing your perceptions. Others, like those from stimulants, will put stress on your body and mind by forcing you into overdrive. Those aren't things you want to have happen for a long time, because you're not going to be as capable on those meds as off them. If you do use them for a long time--for example, my use of caffeine to help focus--then it's important to keep the dose below the level where it starts causing that sort of impairment. For me, it means I can only have one cup of caffeinated coffee a day, and drink none on weekends; otherwise I'm not as aware of my limits, try to do too much, and eventually crash. (That's actually why I prefer extended-release methylphenidate. Unlike caffeine, it doesn't create that sort of physical tension.) I've also had the experience of being on drugs that had a sedative effect, and when I was on those, I felt like I had lost a lot of my ability to concentrate and address the problems in my life. Yes, I was calmer, but I was also unable to do as much as I needed to do, and that ironically raised my anxiety level right back up, even as I was too tired and detached to do much about it.
Point being, you can't just start stuffing meds (even herbal ones) down yourself and expect that you'll benefit. Especially not ones that change your mental state in the sort of way people call "getting high". That'll just get in the way of your life.
18 Apr 2012, 7:43 pm
