43 replies to this topic

[Pablo M]

There is a good page on the Vitamin D Council's website about vitamin D and depression. check it out at www.vitamindcouncil.com. Anecdotally, I seem to have improved moods when taking 4800-9600 IU of vitamin D daily in this rainy, wet weather we're having here lately. It won't hurt you to try some vitamin D. An initial dose of 10,000-15,00o IU for a few days to get your levels up to normal and then a maintainence dose of a few thousand IUs would have very, very little possibility for toxicity and much possibility for benefit.

[staceyo]

Okay, thanks. By the way, I have every symptom listed for hypothyroidism (fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, depression, cycle problems), but apparently my blood tests are normal. Is there a herb available to regulate the thyroid? Or do you have to do the doctor/drugs route?

Anyway, I've decided to exercise whether I'm tired or not. Just walking, but it is a start. And I'm focusing on getting a lots of nutrient-rich foods. For example, I'm starting to drink protein shakes (made with protein powder, hemp seeds, kefir, blueberries, spinach and peanut butter) twice a day. I'll avoid wheat and simple carbs. And I will increase my vitamin D for a couple of weeks to see if it helps. I'm also thinking of trying the niacin and B vitamins.

[thumb]

[ryan1113]

I wasn't going to say anything because all the 'experts' would shoot it down but I know an excellent cure for depression. It's the herb salvia divinorum. Do a search on this website and you will find a lot of info. Works like a charm with no negative side effects if used properly. Kids take large doses to have hallucinations which you do not want. That can be avoided, just use the plain leaf not the concentrate and start with small amounts and work up until you find your dose.

J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2006 Jan;316(1):440-7. Epub 2005 Oct 13.

Depressive-like effects of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist salvinorin A on behavior and neurochemistry in rats.

Carlezon WA Jr, Beguin C, DiNieri JA, Baumann MH, Richards MR, Todtenkopf MS, Rothman RB, Ma Z, Lee DY, Cohen BM.

Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, MRC 217, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478. bcarlezon@mclean.harvard.edu

Endogenous opioids seem to play a critical role in the regulation of mood states. For example, there is accumulating evidence that stimulation of kappa-opioid receptors, upon which the endogenous opioid dynorphin acts, can produce depressive-like behaviors in laboratory animals. Here we examined whether systemic administration of salvinorin A (SalvA), a potent and highly selective kappa-opioid agonist, would produce depressive-like effects in the forced swim test (FST) and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) test, which are behavioral models often used to study depression in rats. We extracted, isolated, and purified SalvA from Salvia divinorum plant leaves and examined its effects on behavior in the FST and ICSS test across a range of doses (0.125-2.0 mg/kg) after systemic (intraperitoneal) administration. SalvA dose dependently increased immobility in the FST, an effect opposite to that of standard antidepressant drugs. Doses of SalvA that produced these effects in the FST did not affect locomotor activity in an open field. Furthermore, SalvA dose dependently elevated ICSS thresholds, an effect similar to that produced by treatments that cause depressive symptoms in humans. At a dose that caused the depressive-like effects in both the FST and ICSS assays, SalvA decreased extracellular concentrations of dopamine (DA) within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a critical component of brain reward circuitry, without affecting extracellular concentrations of serotonin (5-HT). These data provide additional support for the hypothesis that stimulation of brain kappa-opioid receptors triggers depressive-like signs in rats and raise the possibility that decreases in extracellular concentrations of DA within the NAc contribute to these effects.

[xanadu]

Antidepressant Effects of the Herb Salvia Divinorum: A Case Report

Karl R. Hanes, PhD
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2001;21:634-635

Editors:

Case Report

Ms. G is a 26-year-old woman with a history of depression that has shown no significant periods of remission since adolescence and has been predominated by feelings of worthlessness, lack of interest in social activities, an absence of occupational satisfaction, and inability to find “purpose and meaning” in her life. After first seeking treatment for her depression 5 years ago Ms. G was prescribed sertraline, 50 mg daily, which she self-discontinued after 3 months, reporting no significant benefits. Ms. G then underwent a course of cognitive-behavioural therapy for about 6 months, with some improvement but no definitive resolution of her symptoms. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D 1 ) scores during the 6-month period of cognitive-behavioural therapy were consistently in the moderately depressed range (i.e. 19–21).

During a review consultation some 7 months after discontinuing cognitive-behavioural therapy Ms. G claimed to have found relief from her symptoms of depression with use of the herb salvia divinorum sourced through a mail-order herbal supplier. A HAM-D score of 2 confirmed remission of her symptoms of depression at this time. Ms. G claims that she discovered its antidepressant effects accidentally after smoking the herb and had later developed a method of oral consumption which she claimed maintained its antidepressant effects even after she abstained from using it for up to a week.

Despite being cautioned against use of a herb whose safety profile was unknown, she has continued to use a preparation of salvia divinorum leaves taken as an oral dose of 2–3 leaves (1/2 to 3/4 of a gram of leaf material) three times per week (the leaves are chewed and held in the mouth for 15–30 minutes). During this period she has continued to show a total remission of her symptoms of depression according to HAM-D scores in the range of 0–2 and has maintained this improvement for the last 6 months, showing no signs of relapse and reporting only minimal side effects, such as occasional lightheadedness for up to 1 hour after using the herb.

Ms. G volunteered that she has also benefited from occasional intoxicating oral doses of salvia divinorum, consisting of from 8–16 leaves of the herb (approximately 2 to 4 grams), claiming that this herb had engendered a kind of “psychospiritual” awakening, characterized by the discovery of the depth of her sense of self, greater self-confidence, increased feelings of intuitive wisdom and “connectedness to nature.”

Discussion

Salvia divinorum is a perennial herb of the Labiateae (mint) family native to the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. 2–4 Its main constituents have been identified as the neoclerodane diterpenes Salvinorin A and B 5,6 while trace elements of several other diterpenes have also been detected. 6 The plant has been used in healing ceremonies by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca for centuries and for the treatment of such conditions as anaemia, headache, and rheumatism. 7 The psychoactive effects of the main ingredient Salvinorin A in humans were uncovered recently and it has enjoyed some popularity since that time as a legal, short-acting psychedelic, though its psychoactivity varies considerably depending on dosage and method of ingestion. 8

This unique case may be of interest to the psychiatric and psychopharmacological communities in demonstrating the possible therapeutic effects of the unique active components of salvia divinorum in a case of treatmentresistant depression. While the typical dose used by this patient in maintenance management of her depression, consisting of 2–3 leaves, is well below that reported to cause significant intoxication when taken orally, 8 one cannot discount the possibility that some of the benefits derived from salvia divinorum were due to the psychedelic qualities associated with the larger doses of this herb used occasionally by this patient.

While a discussion of these effects is outside the scope of this paper, the value of psychedelic compounds as research tools and their beneficial effects in the amelioration of symptoms of psychiatric conditions is well established. 9–11 Given that the mechanisms of action of the constituents of salvia divinorum remain unknown and the spectrum of psychedelic effects of this herb appears to be unique, 8 it is not inconceivable that research using the active ingredients from this herb may pinpoint a unique mechanism of antidepressant action for these compounds. This, in turn, could lead to methods for the management of depression or of treatment-resistant subtypes of this condition. This possibility is further enhanced by the recent finding using the screening procedure called Novascreen that Salvinorin A did not show significant inhibition of reference target compounds on any of the 42 known bioreceptors tested. 8 We may be dealing with a highly novel agent that has significant research and therapeutic potential in fields such as psychopharmacology, psychiatry and complementary disciplines such as herbal medicine.

Karl R. Hanes, PhD

Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia


References

1. Hamilton M. A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 1960; 23: 56– 62.
2. Johnson JB. The elements of Mazatec witchcraft. Goteborg Ethnografiska Museum. Ethnologiska Studier 1939; 9: 119– 149.
3. Wasson RG. A new Mexican psychotropic drug from the mint family. Botanical Museum Leaflets. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University 1962; 20: 77– 84.
4. Epling C, Jativa M. A new species of salvia from Mexico. Botanical Museum Leaflets. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University 1962; 20: 75– 76.
5. Ortega A, Blount JF, Manchand PS. Salvinorin, a new transneoclerodane diterpene from salvia divinorum (Labiatae). Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1:Organic and Bio-Organic Chemistry, 1982;2505–2508.
6. Valdes III, JL Butler WM, Hatfield GM, Paul AG, Koreeda M. Divinorin A, a psychotropic terpenoid and divinorin B from the hallucinogenic mint Salvia divinorum. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 1984; 49: 4716– 4720.
7. Valdes III, JL Diaz JL, Paul AG. Ethnopharmacology of Ska Maria Pastora (Salvia divinorum Epling and Jativa-M). Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1983; 7: 287– 312.
8. Siebert DJ. Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A: new pharmacologic findings. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1994; 43: 53– 56.
9. Riedlinger TJ, Riedlinger JE. Psychedelic and entactogenic drugs in the treatment of depression. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1994; 26: 41– 55.
10. Henrietta LL, Rapoport JL. Relief of obsessive-compulsive symptoms by LSD and psilocybin. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1987; 144: 1239– 1240.
11. Strassman RJ. Hallucinogenic drugs in psychiatric research and treatment: perspective and prospects. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1995; 183: 127– 138.

[staceyo]

Yeah, that Salvia Divinorum stuff scared me a bit(!), but I should look into it some more. [huh]

[chmstar]

I get the feeling that it maybe your sleep, I know you have had a sleep test, but I've been through the whole sleep study several times and I can tell you with no doubt that I don't sleep like I normally would at home. I cannot convince the doctors that I have seen about it. At this point I consider them all nothing but a bunch of chimpanzees in white coats. I know there are ways to record your pulse/oxygen at home with equipment that you can buy online or maybe you can find a doctor that can get you access to such devices. It might help to get readings taken in your own natural sleeping enviroment.

[tothepoint]

How do you get blood tests for vitamin or amino acid deficiencies? Do you go to a nutritionist or a doctor?

For food allergy tests you go to a doctor right? I think I may be allergic to milk but I'm not sure yet..

[xanadu]

For those who are curious, I use about 1/16 to 1/8 gm of salvia leaf to do the job, occasionally up to maybe 1/4gm. To chew a leaf like the lady in the case history, you would need about twice that. The good effects start within about an hour and last for from a day to a couple weeks. Don't use the concentrated salvia because it's easier to overdose which can result in brief hallucinations which are like a dream state.

[staceyo]

Do you grow this salvia stuff, or buy individual leafs somehow?

[mitkat]

Do you grow this salvia stuff, or buy individual leafs somehow?

You mentioned you were in Canada? If you're in Toronto/GTA, there are lots of sources...I know a greenhouse that sells live plants, and dried leaf is easy to come by. Let me know where you're at!

Don't use the concentrated salvia because it's easier to overdose which can result in brief hallucinations which are like a dream state.

I would of said "frothing state of temporary madness".

[xanadu]

It's difficult to grow, you can buy it on the net by the ounce or other weights. I hesitate to recommend vendors since I may be accused of working for them. Bouncing Bear is good, IAS and a few others. You will probably notice nothing the first time. It has a reverse tolerance so you need less the second time after you find an effective dose. Use it at the end of the work day when you don't have to rush out and do something. If nothing has happened after an hour, try a larger dose. If nothing, then wait until the next day and start with a larger amount. It does nothing if the person is not depressed. Many people overlook the symptoms of depression which can be sneaky. Sometimes it's a feeling of being discouraged, sometimes it seems like low energy and there are other symptoms. I never use it for enjoyment because it's not really enjoyable.... unless you're depressed. Then you feel much better, your step is a little bouncier and you feel just a little bit more optimistic.

[xanadu]

It is not difficult to grow.  I am no green thumb and I successfully raised 4 plants from seedlings.  Now they are over 2+ feet tall.  Just buy some from a greenhouse if you want some nice indoor plants... that you can munch on.  :-)

Salvia divinorum is not normally grown from seed nor will you find it in geenhouses. You may be thinking of another species of salvia. They are not all alike and only divinorum has the special properties. Yes, it can be grown but it's difficult for most people which is why I suggested buying some. It requires high humidity to grow and is almost always grown from cuttings. Successful growers often use humidity tents.

[staceyo]

Thanks everyone. Mitkat, I am in the GTA (Mississauga), and I am downtown Toronto all the time. Any sources you have would be great.

[tarbtl]

Hey Stacey, I'm in exactly the same boat as you with a few minor differences. I'm a 19 year old male though. I recently made a thread about it:

http://www.imminst.o...=0