Has anyone tried Chinese Traditional Medicine to treat depression/anxiety/suicidal thoughts?

[sushinala]

Since I tried many prescription antidepressants for over 11 years and received little benefit and many negative side effects, I decided to search for other treatments. I've read that Jin Wei Xiao Yao San works to help treat depression and anxiety. I've also read interesting things about Xia Tiao Jin Tang and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang helping with suicidal thoughts and postpartum depression.

Has anyone tried these remedies? Or have you tried other herbal treatments (TCM or otherwise) that worked for their depression/anxiety/suicidal thoughts?

Thanks for reading and/or your response!

[Against_the_current]

I haven't but i'm on homepathy and natural remedies and they help. Like valerian root, ginko leaves, l-theanin, Schussler salt 5 and i forgot what more

[Daveacr1959]

I get mild help from ashwaganda, it’s been around along time. I have seen people comment on kava kava and like it. I have seen people talk about 5 h t p or h t p -5 I’m not sure what it’s called. They said it’s powerful and if you try it go lowest dose . My natural remedy is aggressive breathing exercises. And daily cardio exercise to help burn off steam and produce endorphins. And cold shower or bath or cold water swimming or plunging.

[Ronnie4Health in reply to Daveacr1959]

You're correct about the name: it's 5-HTP (which is short for its chemical name of 5-hydroxytryptophan). You're also correct in that it is powerful (in a good way).

The hormone serotonin plays a key role in regulating anxiety and mood. Increasing serotonin levels is one way to treat anxiety and/or depression. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin - it gets converted into serotonin. That's the main reason 5-HTP has been used to treat both anxiety and depression.

For anyone concerned about taking a scary-sounding chemical like 5-hydroxytryptophan, keep in mind that 5-HTP is naturally created by the human body. The body converts tryptophan into 5-HTP.

[Daveacr1959 in reply to Ronnie4Health]

the National institution of health.. n I h .. says it depletes dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Which can make depression anxiety worse. They say it’s ok to take for 3 months. A couple other reputable sources said the same thing. They said it is very effective in raising seratonin levels. But you have to be careful. If they go too high they can have serious negative effects. One was heart problems. I think people should be careful taking over the counter supplements.they have not been studied by the f d a, Thanks

[designguy]

I haven't tried the Chinese medicine route but i have tried the natural herb/supplement route and it didn't help me much but we all react differently. I do use natural supplements for lowering cortisol and aiding sleep. There is a good book you might consider for anxiety/mood called "the anti-anxiety food solution" by Trudy Scott, it has a lot of info about diet/natural supplements, etc... for anxiety/depression.

[Anne357]

Hi i haven't sorry.I am using Passiflora complex drops from A.Vogel over yr now,i sleep better now, as always got huge problems with that and helps my depression too ,i am more calm,less stressed,less overthinking.