Depression vs Plant Medicines.
Feeling down or depressed has been normalized in most societies these days. We assume that the problems in the world will remain endless and distant, but persistent and a constant factor affecting our mood, outlook and opportunity to grow in life. Anyone who doesn't hold at least a little heaviness in their heart as they see the state of the world with Social Injustices, Environmental degradation, institutionalized greed or the ever expanding web of revelations being revealed by various whistleblowers either don't care or are not paying attention. That's just in the sphere of International affairs and the state of the world in general. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good happening too, balancing out the horrendous, but for the purposes of this post I just want to establish that regardless of your own personal health or situation in society as an individual, the collective trauma being held by the world right now, is pretty significant, multi-faceted and to be expected in a World going through extraordinary growing pains as a new paradigm is born.
IF YOU ARE JUST SCROLLING,
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS
THAT YOU CAN TAKE RHODIOLA
FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH
, FOCUS
AND MOOD.
Probably good for Depression, ADD, ADHD, Dementia and mental lethargy.
From Google:
"Rhodiola Rosea also known as “golden root” is an adaptogen herb with tremendous fat burning, energy enhancing and brain boosting power. Adaptogens are a group of plants that can help your body adapt to physical, chemical, and environmental stress and rhodiola is one of the most effective in this family."
When Life Just Blows...FUKITOL!
So, in an effort to counter the growing trend in "Pills for everything". I thought I would highlight some amazing plant allies you can find at most health food stores or that you can even grow yourself. While I will be mentioning quite a few, I'll just be focusing on RHODIOLA for today. This one, to me, after doing lots of research and even trying it myself to see what the hype was about, having tried similar brain tonics like Brahmi, I was curious to see the similarities or differences and how one might benefit from taking it. It appears to be one of the safest, most effective plant sources of medicinal compounds that can be used to dissolve the blues like honey in tea on a rainy day. Mind you, my interest wasn't based on it's mood elevating properties, I had been taking various other adaptogens familiarizing myself with the big names from Indian Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Herbalism. Rhodiola just came up on the way, and I'm glad it did, since I think many others could benefit from it after careful study, consideration and measured use.
So before we get into Rhodiola, lemme just mention these others I thought about including and what I think is so great about them for improving your mental, emotional and physical well being:
-Reishi, a famous fungi practically worshiped in the places it was most noticed and put to good use. This medicinal mushroom is traditionally consumed as a tea, but these days you can get tinctures, capsules and extracts. So if you don't feel like drinking tea religiously from now on, you can just take them like a multivitamin 2-3 times a day. The key is consistency. The accumulative effects actually take weeks to notice, if not a month or two, but slowly the immune boosting properties combine with all the gentle changes it encourages in your body. Some researchers are even studying the effect it has on changing the gut biome, which as many have also discovered, has an integral relationship to mental health. But since it takes a long time to start surfing the sweetness of this fungal friend, I would put in on the back burner for now. Take it regularly, for a long time though.... you'll see what I mean.
-He Shou Wu This is another good one, which I wrote about before, its awesome, gives you lots of zinc, prevents your neurotransmitters from getting burnt up so you just stay, well, good. Eventually, like Reishi, you get to enjoy the cumulative effects, but again, it takes time and consistent compliance with taking the supplements EVERYDAY to start to feel the glow. Now the odd thing for me is that many people have a hesitation with taking anything, since we should all be so radiant and healthy in this pristine oasis we all share (right?). I'd rather take something from nature that has been proven for thousands of years and can be feared about as much as most foods. Makes sense.
-St John's Wort, a common herb from Western Herbalism, this plant is used in similar ways to Rhodiola. However, rhodhiola is considered better in some ways, for some things and is considered more potent. If you've tried this as a tea, tincture or capsule, just know you can also grow this plant in many climates and start producing your own medicine. However, IF Rhodiola is too strong for you, this might be more up your alley.
RAW Cacao. Not to be confused with its sexy neice, chocolate, Cacao is a super powerful cocktail of nutrients, special compounds and minerals that remain available to the consumer so long as the bean hasn't been heated or denatured too much. CONTAINS: Theobromine (helps open blood vessels), Anandamine (The BLISS Chemical. Ananda=Sanskrit for Bliss) and Phenylethylamine (the same chemical that gets released in your brain when you fall in love) . Magnesium is the number one mineral most of us are deficient in and the HEART uses the most of it. Chocolate and cacao are excellent sources of Magnesium and is found in Therapeutic doses in RAW cacao especially. But this is a pick me up, not necessarily an effective long term solution to Depression but it definitely helps and is a great thing to add to your diet, nuts and raisins with Cacao works fine for me as snack.
Feel free to comment if you are a choco-holic and think the creamy gold IS Medicine!
Cacao Ceremony Anyone?
IF you really wanna know more: Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe
Did I miss anything? Maybe Macuna.... yeah good for Dopamine, High source of L DOPA
SO now we can get into Rhodiola itself. If you already sleep well, eat well, exercise regularly, don't spend too much time in front of a screen, spend lots of time outside and have a pretty good grasp on your mental and emotional world, you probably don't need to take Rhodiola for Depression since those things should be pretty helpful in themselves and I recommend you start there and save yourself a few bucks, you know, just to see if it works. However, you don't need to have mental issues to take this amazing medicine since it's side effects are about as desirable as the reasons you might be taking it! I have seen very little concern online regarding toxicity and harmful side effects, if you know or have experienced something contrary to that, let us know!
My Experience with Rhodiola
Personally, I noticed just feeling good. No body buzz, no waves of bliss or anything. Just a clean, clear focus and buoyant mood that seemed to just come from the ether. Things that usually only hold my attention for about as long as I can coax my mind to, were suddenly caught in my laser like focus and I found myself reading on and on and on and not losing interest or getting distracted by all the usual things around me that so easily.....
sorry, there was a cat. Where was I? right.... focus.
This leads me to the only downside I noticed and heard others talk about, which is it's impact on Sleep IF you take it too late in the day. First thing in the morning is best. But if you use it late in the day you may be organizing your life or doing laundry at odd hours since you just feel fine, with energy and not-so-much desire to call it a night for some reason. Truckers might be into it, but I'd rather boost my game in the day when I need it, then sleep like a baby afterward.
So I smatter some links here if you feel like exploring more on your own and put some vids below that made me wonder why so many people were having such good reports online while there are also thousands of years of use from cultures all over the world that revered and prized it (Chinese, Tibetan, Russian, Viking etc etc) and yet WIKIPEDIA says very little.... :/ wonder why?
4 Ways Rhodiola Could Change Your Life
Rhodiola Benefits: Burning Fat for Energy & Beating Depression
This Herb Could Replace 30% of Today's Psychiatric Drugs
The Benefits of Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola! - Best Herb On The Planet? Incredible Mood Booster, Adaptogen Energizer & Anti-Depressant!
What are Rhodiola Rosea Benefits and Side Effects
You can also grow it!
Rhodiola rosea
Rhodiola Rosea (Golden Root) Seeds from World Seed Supply
it sounds like you can eat the leaf too! But the good stuff is further down, in the root which gives a rose like flavour and smell to the tea, hence the name, rosea.
Buy it, ready to go, if you want:
Rhodiola Root Powder from Harmonic Arts in Canada. Bulk option if you want to also have a cheaper long term access or so that you can share with your friends on Steemit. Otherwise if you just want to try it as a tea, get it in chunks
Ditto, Mountain Rose Herbs sells Rhodiola
I don't get money from them, just saving you a google. Mind you, this is BULK.
Otherwise just go to the store, blow a few bucks, take one or two first thing in the morning and lemme know what you notice. Also, don't. This is the internet. Figure things out for yourself. There is plenty here to explore.
Hope this helps and that you are inspired and motivated to learn more on your own, here and elsewhere.
This article is dedicated to @farmstead for her inspiration, example (of what you can do in a month on here!), her promptings and suggestions. See? Pictures!
Cheers,
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
I started taking rhodiola a couple of years ago, and at first I thought it was quite helpful, and I had that good, focused feeling you mention. But last year I had an episode of anxiety and I thought its energizing effects were detrimental - I just felt a little too buzzy-twitchy, electrified, so I stopped. It may not be the best choice if you have that type of anxiety, but everyone's different. I would like to revisit this herb in the future, though.
I kinda have hints of that too @janamclaughlin, in the sense that I don't really see the NEED to take it everyday. It's kindof a useful tool for more energy, to boost a dreary day or otherwise give you focus when you might need it, but it's not habit forming and (I think) should just be used with discretion and respect... no need to fear though just an understanding of how to use it, when and why.
Also ensure you are getting enough sleep, protein and sunlight before reaching to medicate yourself even with herbs. At least try to fix the root causes
yeah, tried to mention that in the article too, but the protein part I hadn't considered, I just assumed most people get too much if they have a standard american diet, or western style of eating, which in itself can be a bit sad/make people feel sad. Thanks for the tips @reville
Some people have a higher need.
I started tracking my intake and found if i didnt get at least 1.2g/kg lean muscle massthen things started going wrong.
Ideally im getting 1.8 g /kg
Its easy to over eat energy but getting enough protein without exceeding in energy is somewhat harder
However the health benefits are worth it
What are your main sources of protein? That sound like a lot to me. I hear 30-50grams is good for most people and if you get it from amino acids your body can more readily digest the building blocks to make it's own proteins. The energy it takes to breakdown many proteins can be countered by just having the amino acids available to build from, as such I dunno if I agree with the protein formula, but I'm vegetarian and pretty lackadaisical with such things.
If i had to give my most consistent sources theyd be 1. Eggs, 2. Tempe, 3. Chicken, 4. Squid because of availability , quality and price
I found this too: The average recommended intake of protein is 42 grams a day. Non-vegetarians eat way more than that (almost 80 grams), but so does everyone else. Vegetarians and vegans actually average 70% more protein than they need every day (over 70 grams) But I suppose it really does depend on activity, body size etc. I've experimented with my own preferences and find that traditional practices of fasting and feasting also affect digestion and assimilation.... but then also you have highs and lows in protein intake throughout the week. Which may be better, or not :/
https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/
It would depend how big you are.
And what you do and what you are trying to do.
30-50g would be insufficient unless you're a small person. Like under 60kg
The lowest recc intake is 0.8g-0.9 g/kg
1.8 is for when youre gaining muscle or losing weight and dont want to lose muscle with it
Anyway if youre well on it then its fine.however, if you are unwell, then its time to change.
Given the fundamental importance of protein to body and brain repair and upkeep it would be a macro nutrient to ensure is being met. If its part of the problem youd get fast results
I love how Steemit allows stuff like this to happen. I wrote this in response to an idea from @farmstead and then got to it. I got have fun learning about something new and trying to figure out how to present it, then I see your comment and get to consider other things people might not be taking into account and the whole thing is here on the blockchain for people to google. Kinda neat when you think about it. Others have similar abilities, but the protection from the technology, I guess is just one thing that makes it special... Anyway, random thing I noticed/realized. Thanks for all the useful tips and information @reville !
Wow amazing article. So much information to take in. This is going to sound like I have just read the first paragraph then scrolled down to comment (I haven't haha) but your opening paragraph is exactly how I think. Made me want to carry on reading.