Several herbs can affect your brain's neurotransmitters, which are brain chemicals. An imbalance in these chemicals plays a direct role in depression because they are linked to mood, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other neurotransmitters affect your ability to make memories and think. Herbs can boost mood and may even help conditions like early Alzheimer's. However, before you take any herbs to treat chemical imbalances, it's important to consult a doctor---especially if you take medications to treat your condition.
St. John's Wort
St. John's wort has been used for centuries to treat depression and is a popular treatment for this ailment in Europe, according to the Mayo Clinic. It's likely most helpful if you have moderate or mild depression. It may even work as well as the antidepressant medications known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, like fluoxetine, citalopram and sertralin--without the side effect of libido loss, according to the University of Maryland Medical Clinic. Though available research has not pinpointed the exact mechanism by which St. John's wort works, according to UMMC, one theory states the herb acts like an SSRI. This makes more of the chemicals dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine available to your brain. The National Institutes of Health gives this herb an "A" rating for treating mild to moderate depression, meaning there is strong scientific evidence to support this use.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba may normalize brain chemicals that are altered by stress, reports Z.A. Shah, lead author for a study on rats published in European Neuropsychopharmacology. Ginkgo restored elevated levels of stress-induced brain chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine to near-normal levels, Shah's study found. Since stress and mental problems associated with it have increased tremendously in the modern-day world, ginkgo may be a valuable natural alternative for treating it, though more study is needed, Shah advises. Because ginkgo also raises serotonin levels, people who take SSRIs risk serotonin syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which a person has too much serotonin in his body, warn the experts at UMMC. Ginkgo also can enhance both good and bad effects of MAOIs, or monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants, like phenelzine.
NIH gives ginkgo biloba an "A" rating for treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, stating it may be as helpful as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs like donepezil which affect the neurotransmitter most important to Alzheimer's, called acetylcholine. This chemical is used in the memory-making and thinking portions of your brain, according to the Alzheimer's Society.
Lavender
Lavender has a long history of use in treating depression, anxiety and insomnia, according to UMMC. Though the exact mechanism hasn't been discovered, the lead theory is that when you inhale its scent, smell receptors in your nose send chemical messages along your nerve pathways to your brain's limbic system, which affects mood, reports the American Cancer Society. Since lavender promotes relaxation, you need to consult a doctor before using it with central nervous system depressants because it may make their effects stronger, advise the experts at UMMC. Such drugs include narcotics like oxycodone and morphine as well as sedative and anti-anxiety drugs like lorazepam, diazepam or alprazolam. NIH gives lavender a "C" rating for treating depression, dementia and agitated behavior, meaning there is not enough scientific evidence to recommend for or against such uses.
References
- PubMed: "European Neuropsychopharmacology;" Ginkgo biloba normalises stress-elevated alterations in brain catecholamines, serotonin and plasma corticosterone levels; Z.A. Shah; 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center: St. John's wort
- Medline Plus: St. John's wort
- Medline Plus: Ginkgo
- Alzheimer Society: Drug Treatments
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