# Exhaustive list of herbs and vitamins, minerals, and other supplementation for SAD!



## metamorphosis (Dec 18, 2008)

Part One-

Overall studies on nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2959081/
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-7-2.pdf http://nancyadlerjones.psychology.com/wp-content/uploads/herbal-rx-for-anxiety-disorders.pdf
http://li123-4.members.linode.com/f...f monotherapies and adjuvant treatments_0.pdf

Treating anxiety with amino acid supplementation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16117182

*L-Theanine- Found in green tea and is sold as a supplement. It is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, theanine has psychoactive properties. Theanine has been studied for its potential ability to reduce mental and physical stress. its primary effect seems to increase the overall level of the brain inhibitory transmitter GABA. Theanine also increases brain dopamine levels. Although most of the benefits of L-theanine are experienced with doses of 50-400mg, the typical green tea sold in North America contains less than 10mg of L-theanine per serving. The finest grades of green tea sold in Japan may have much more L-theanine (as high as 50mg per serving) but this grade of tea is very hard to find in North America.
*Dr. Teitelbaum
Board certified internist and director of the Annapolis Research Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies.*
L-theanine works in a couple ways, according to Teitelbaum. First, it directly stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, which are associated with a relaxed-but-alert state of mind, similar to the state meditation achieves. Secondly, he explains, L-theanine is involved in the formation of the neurotransmitter GABA, which calms you while you're awake but deepens sleep at night. "L-theanine also naturally stimulates the release of the 'happiness molecules' serotonin and dopamine." One study earlier this year, conducted by researchers at the program in Cognitive Neuroscience at the City University in New York, found that by boosting people's alpha brain waves, L-theanine helped people stay more focused and responsive while performing mundane tasks. Teitelbaum suggests 50 to 200 mg of L-theanine, which is identical to the amino acid found in green tea, a few times a day.
Studies:
ScienceDirect.com - Biological Psychology - l-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses
Google Translate
L-theanine, a natural constituent in te... [Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI

*Glutamine- L- Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid found in the muscles of the body. Because it can readily pass the blood-brain barrier, it is known as brain fuel. In the brain, glutamine is converted into glutamic acid-which is essential for cerebral function-and vice versa. It also increases the amount of Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is needed to sustain proper brain function and mental activity. It assists in maintaining the proper acid/alkaline balance in the body and is the basis of the building blocks for the synthesis of RNA and DNA. It promotes mental ability and the maintenance of a healthy digestive tract. Glutamine is the precursor to another amino acid known as GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in your brain, meaning that it has a calming effect on your nervous system. In her book, "Prevention of the Disease of Aging," Dr. Katherine Blanchett states that GABA helps to decrease the number of anxiety-related messages in your brain by inhibiting neuron firing. Because glutamine increases GABA production, it is thought that glutamine can also help to decrease symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety symptoms include feelings of worry, fatigue, irritability, tension, mood changes, sleep disturbances and cognitive difficulties. However, only one clinical supports the benefits of glutamine supplementation on symptoms of anxiety.
http://neurogenesis.com/amino-acids/glutamine/
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?s...ne+and+gaba+anxiety&hl=en&as_sdt=0,6&as_vis=1
http://www.howtochangeyourownbatter...-Your-Own-Batteries1-The-Glutamine-Report.pdf

*Arginine- Dietary supplementation of L-arginine taken in combination with L-lysine has been shown potentially useful in treating people subjected to high levels of mental stress and anxiety, in a double-blind, placebo controlled and randomized study, involving 108 Japanese adults. Trait anxiety and state anxiety induced by cognitive stress battery was significantly reduced and basal levels of the stress hormone cortisol was decreased.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17510493

*Tyrosine-Tyrosine, a simple amino acid, is the precursor for several important neurotransmitters, including dopamine1 and norepinephrine.
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/7/1/2
http://www.wellnessresources.com/studies/tyrosine_helps_cogntive_ability_under_stress/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12955284

*Valerian root- Valerian extracts appear to have some affinity for the GABAA receptor.It is believed that valerian root has an impact on the availability of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. it is used for calming the central nervous system in order to treat sleeplessness or insomnia. The supplements prepared from the roots of this herb are largely used all over the world to promote sleep, which in turn can reduce the level of anxiety. So, apart from being recognized as a sleep aid, valerian root has found wide scale popularity for reducing anxiety and stress as well, mainly due to its tranquilizing effect. It has been acknowledged to be very effective in improving the quality of sleep and reducing nervousness, irritability, depression, nervous tension and hysteria. Its main advantage over the commonly used prescription medications for insomnia is that, it does not produce morning 'grogginess' and 'sleep hangover', as it is non addictive in nature.
Elsevier

*Magnesium-A clinical trial recently conducted in France through the double-blind, randomized, placebo method with total participants of 264 people diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder showed a statistically significant reduction in anxiety and depression in the group who was given the herbal treatment with 300 mg of magnesium. I recommend pwd magnesium glycinate. It is more tolerable on the bowels than other forms. Magnesium naturally calms the nervous system and the muscles; whereas, a deficiency can result in a tense body and an anxious mind.
Eating foods that are rich in magnesium is an important step in correcting a magnesium deficiency naturally. Magnesium can be found most abundantly in coconut water, kelp, cashews, buckwheat, molasses, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, cocoa powder and rice bran.Those with anxiety will often benefit from magnesium supplementation. Start with 200 mg per day and work your way up to the most effective dose. Too much magnesium may cause loose stools. If this occurs, either cut back on your dose or divide it into smaller doses throughout the day. Most people find that 400-800 mg taken in divided doses will ease their anxiety symptoms considerably.
Magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate and magnesium chloride are among the most absorbable forms of magnesium. Magnesium oil and epsom salts can also be used externally to boost magnesium levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19085527
http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html
http://george-eby-research.com/html/magnesium-for-depression.pdf
Foods high in magnesium:
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/magnesium-foods.htm

*Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids-The data for anxiety disorders is -lower omega-3 plasma levels are found in folks with social anxiety.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784145
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21279554
http://journals.lww.com/psychopharm...aturated_Fatty_Acids_Decrease_Anxiety.19.aspx

all about fats-
http://primalmeded.com/2011/08/09/fat-glorious-fat-ii/

*B-Complex Vitamins
People suffering from stress and anxiety or drink or smoke deplete the B vitamins more rapidly. B vitamins are essential for the nervous system to function properly. B vitamins are particularly concentrated in meat such as turkey and tuna, in liver and meat products. Good sources for B vitamins include kombucha, whole grains, potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, beans, nutritional yeast, brewer's yeast, and molasses.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15671130
http://www.mashpedia.com/B_vitamins

A blog:B-Vitamins, Mood, and Methylation - It's Complicated
http://jdmoyer.com/2011/09/03/b-vitamins-mood-and-methylation-its-complicated/

B1-Helps reduce anxiety and has a calming effect on the nerves. Thiamine is found in a wide variety of foods at low concentrations. Cereal grains are the most important dietary sources of thiamine. Whole grains contain more thiamine than refined grains, as thiamine is found mostly in the outer layers of the grain and in the germ (which are removed during the refining process).foods rich in thiamine are oatmeal, flax, and sunflower seeds, brown rice, whole grain rye, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges, liver (beef, pork, and chicken), and eggs.


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