Ancient Wisdom, Modern Minds: Natural Remedies for Mental Health

Who takes SSRI’s? do you know what they are ?

SSRI’s are anti depressants\ anti anxiety medication, they are the most widely used and theres loads to choose from!

Sertraline

Citalopram

Escitalopram

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Paroxetine

All sweet shaped medication, handed over from a GP (General Practitioners) that should be noted are not mental health professionals.

With the deceiving promise to make all your problems go away, along with these little happiness tictacs is a price to pay, some of which we do not yet know, while some have already been recorded: weight gain - increased appetite, suicidal thoughts, sexual dysfunction, serotonin syndrome, gastrointestinal issues, nausea, sickness, insomnia & more.

Now I won’t go into all of these as the list is depressing in itself.

Now wouldn't it be wonderful if there was such a thing that had all the same good effects of SSRI’s, without all of the negative side effects?

Well, I will bless you with the information that indeed, there is such a thing! Drum roll please……….

SAFFRON ! 

The national library of medicine states that saffron is as effective as SSRIs.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6266642/

Active Compounds: Saffron contains compounds like Safranal, Crocin and Crocetin, which may affect mood regulation and stress resilience.

Mechanisms: It is thought to work by influencing serotonin and dopamine re-uptake, as well as interacting with other neurotransmitter systems.

Efficacy: Studies indicate saffron can be as effective as SSRIs in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Side Effects: Saffron generally has fewer reported adverse effects compared to SSRIs.

You can get a pharmaceuticals subscription for as little as £114.50 annually, but for this fix of dependency is it really worth it?

That same £114.50 can get you approximately 25g of Saffron, which across a year works out to around 68.49 mg per day, with the recommended daily dose to increase mood being 20-30mg a day. It seems like an attractive investment to me.

Lack of Serotonin can be linked to nutrition, I do not discard circumstance and I make no claim to be an expert on mental health, although one thing I know for sure is if you already suffer with some form of mental health, depriving your body of its essential amino acids and nutrients will indefinitely worsen your overall physical and mental wellbeing.

Also while stimulating your serotonin receptors with SSRI medication, you increase the risk of all of the nasty side effects. Why do that, when there is a natural alternative with no side effects?

Even if consuming saffron on a daily basis may not be within your price range there are many other natural remedies that can help contribute to a more positive mind state that are cheaper and more accessible.

Disclaimer 💢

If anyone is suffering with mental health or already taking SSRI's please do you're own research and consult you're DR before switching to any herbal remedies. You cannot just stop taking SSRI's and must speak to you're doctor so you can come off them safely.