Mood swings can make it difficult to go about your daily life; the manic highs and depressive lows prevent the stability useful for a healthy work and home life. Your physician may prescribe pharmaceuticals to even out your mood, but there are a range of herbal treatments you can use for natural therapy. Do not take them without first consulting your doctor, though.
St. John's Wort
The yellow flower of St. John's Wort offers a range of benefits, but extracts used for tea and capsules are often used to ease mood swings caused by anxiety, depression and sleeping problems. An article in the June 2007 issue of the "Journal of Women's Health" notes that the majority of studies on the effectiveness of this herb indicate it works just as well or better than pharmaceutical antidepressants. Recommended dosage varies from 600 to 900 mg per day. St. John's Wort may interfere with some medications, including birth control pills; it may also trigger a skin rash if you take it and spend time in direct sunlight.
Hops
Hops is often thought of as a beer ingredient, but this flowering vine also serves as an herbal treatment to stop mood swings. Hops has approval in Germany as a therapy for anxiety and sleep problems. As a sedative, it can calm mild to moderate mood swings. You may safely take 100 to 325 mg of hops per day, although the Clarocet website notes that rare side effects include dizziness and sleepiness.
Ginkgo Biloba
Known for its strong smell, ginkgo biloba may also enhance your mood, preventing swings in your disposition. This herbal treatment increases blood flow, which may impact your mood and other cognitive functions. Evidence published in the April 2002 issue of "Physiology and Behavior" notes that 20 study subjects who took 360 mg of ginkgo biloba reported mood improvements, although a study in the January 2006 edition of "Human Psychopharmacology" indicates that this herb caused no significant effect in young, healthy people. Recommended dosages range from 120 to 240 mg per day.
Chamomile
Chamomile, a flower, is often used to make a soothing tea, but the co-director of the Flower Essence Society, Patricia Kaminski, tells MotherNature.com that chamomile eases moodiness. A study in the November 2010 issue of "Molecular Medicine Reports" points out that people drink more than one million cups of chamomile tea every day. No recommended dosage for chamomile exists, although do not take this herbal treatment in any form if you have a prescription for warfarin or other blood thinners as chamomile can interfere with these medications.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; St. John's Wort; January 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Premenstrual Syndrome; June 2010
- Journal of Women's Health; Botanical and Dietary Supplements for Menopausal Symptoms: What Works, What Doesn't; S.E. Geller, et al.; January 2007
- Clarocet: Hops
- Power Surge; Natural Support for Mood Swings; H. Zapf
- Human Psychopharmacology; Ginkgo Biloba: No Robust Effect On Cognitive Abilities or Mood in Healthy Young or Older Adults; N.R. Burns, et al.; January 2006
