The Benefits Of St. John's Wort For Depression
Depression and anxiety are growing problems in the United States, and unfortunately many people who suffer from these serious illnesses are resistant to seeking professional help. Fortunately, there are a number of natural remedies, including St. John's Wort, which show great promise in treating depression and anxiety without the use of drugs. St. John's Wort has been shown to improve mood in many people, and there are those who swear by the positive effects of this herbal medication.
The History of St. John's Wort
The herb we know today as St. John's Wort is know scientifically as Hypericum perforatum, and it gets its name in honor of St. John The Baptist. St. John's birthday was thought to be in June, and it is in June that the golden flowers of this herb begin to bloom. The word "wort" translates to "plant", therefore St. John's Wort is St. John's plant.
This herb grows as a perennial, meaning it will grow back year after year on a single planting. St. John's Wort grows wild like a weed, and it has grown abundantly in Europe for thousands of years. The history of using St. John's Wort also goes back thousands of years, and it has been used as a safe and effective herbal medication for at least 2400 years. The founder of medicine, Hippocrates, was known to prescribe St. John's Wort for relief of such common ailments as hemorrhage, jaundice, dysentery, tuberculosis, colds and insomnia.
In European countries, St. John's Wort has been studied for many decades, and scientists have discovered that it contains a combination of compounds, the most important of which is hypericin. These compounds are thought to react with certain chemicals in the brain, thereby providing emotional comfort, a calming element and freedom from depression. As a matter of fact, St. John's Wort is thought to work much the same way as many common prescription antidepressants.
St. John's Wort And Depression
In Europe and other places around the world, doctors have been prescribing St. John's Wort for the treatment of depression for many years, and the therapeutic effects of this herb have been shown to include relief from mild to moderate depression, relief from anxiety, relief from insomnia, and even increased cardiac circulation.
In the United States, St. John's Wort is available over the counter in a number of preparations and a variety of strengths. When taken orally St. John's Wort is often prepared in capsule formula, at a standardized dosage of 300 mg. With a 0.3 hypericin concentration. The suggested dosage ranges from 2 to 12 capsules per day, depending on the condition being treated and its severity.
St. John's Wort is also available in tea form. The tea is prepared by mixing 2 teaspoons of dried herb with hot water and letting it steep for 10 minutes. After the tea has had time to steep, it is strained, and mixed with sugar or honey to make a tasty drink.
In addition to these common forms, St. John's Wort can be infused into olive oil and used as a massage oil to relieve joint pain and inflammation. This massage oil is also thought to be effective against bruises and wounds.
About Nutrition
| Drinking Water |
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Good nutrition isn't just about the foods you eat, it also includes the beverages you drink. Water is a good beverage. It doesn't have any calories or artificial colorings or flavorings and your body needs it. It's also cheap when you get it from the tap. Maybe you prefer bottled water or you use a filtered pitcher to avoid impurities or you prefer the flavor.
I don't like to drink water. I don't like the way it tastes. A lot of people think that's weird because water doesn't really have any flavor. I was a picky eater as a kid so maybe that's related, I don't know. Anyway, if you're like me you can still get enough water by choosing other beverages or flavoring your water with a slice of lemon or lime. I also like sparkling water. You can choose flavored waters too. Just because they're flavored doesn't change the fact that they're almost completely water. Common Questions About Water
Drinking Water originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 10:45:21. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Sweet Potatoes |
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Did you know that yams and sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A and beta carotene? Sweet potatoes are also a good source of fiber. They have a naturally sweet flavor that doesn't need much extra seasoning, although they're often glazed or served in sweet potato pie. Today I wrote an article about sweet potatoes, how to choose them, how to cook them and I included some links to healthy and delicious recipes that feature sweet potatoes: What's your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes? I like mine baked and then served with a little bit of real maple syrup with a few pecans sprinkled on top. Sweet Potatoes originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:07:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Vitamin D In the Winter |
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Vitamin D is a popular vitamin in the world of nutrition right now - it seems there's news about vitamin D research every week. Your body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and various research studies have linked deficiencies with several health conditions, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Today I read a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology in which the authors looked at vitamin D deficiency, supplementation and cardiovascular disease risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. The researchers (not surprisingly) found an association of vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and also with decreased survival time. So they looked a little closer at the patients who were deficient in vitamin D levels to see if taking vitamin D supplements had any impact on survival times. Turns out the vitamin D deficient-subjects who were taking vitamin D supplements tended to have increased survival times. This was an observational study and not a randomized control trial (which provides the highest form of evidence), so there was no specific dosage used and the subjects weren't required to take any vitamin D. So there was a wide range of dosages reported, from 1,000 International Units per day up to prescription forms of vitamin D taken at 50,000 International Units bi-weekly. Interestingly, subjects who had cardiovascular disease but were not deficient in vitamin D according to blood tests, but took vitamin D supplements anyway didn't have the same increased survival times. We still have a lot to learn about any therapeutic benefits of vitamin D. You don't usually get much vitamin D from the foods you eat, although milk is usually fortified with it, you're body makes vitamin D after your skin is exposed to sunlight. Those of us who live north of a line drawn on a map from the northern border of California in the west to Boston in the east can't even get vitamin D from the sun during the colder months because the sun's rays just aren't strong enough to give us the UV exposure we need. So it's a good idea to take vitamin D supplements during the winter (or any time of the year if you avoid sun exposure). Vitamin D In the Winter originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 14:40:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Dietary Magnesium and Stroke Risk |
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A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came to the conclusion that dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with the risk of ischemic stroke (these are the strokes caused by blood clots in the brain). The authors performed a meta-analysis, which is a type of study that involves taking the data from previous similar studies and combining them. The authors of the study used the data from seven previous studies and determined that an increased intake of 100 milligrams magnesium per day was associated with an 8 - 9% decreased risk of ischemic stroke. Eight or nine percent may not sound like much, but according to the Internet Stroke Center, stroke is the third highest cause of death in the United States and of those strokes, 88% are ischemic strokes, so something as simple as increasing a dietary mineral could be quite significant.
So this could be a good thing, but, it's important to keep a couple of things in mind with this study. The authors of this study looked at dietary intake of magnesium so it doesn't indicate that taking magnesium supplements will have the same decrease in risk, and it's important (I think) to understand that magnesium deficiency symptoms are uncommon. Also, it's possible that the reduction of stroke risk is caused by other factors besides the actual magnesium since foods that contain magnesium are generally healthy fiber-rich foods - things like whole grains, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. Still, I believe it adds some evidence to the idea that eating magnesium-rich plant-based foods is important for good health. Dietary Magnesium and Stroke Risk originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 15:36:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Nutritionist or Dietitian? |
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A reader wants to know if there's a difference between nutritionists and dietitians? Here's my answer: Nutritionist or Dietitian Have you been to a dietitian or a nutritionist? Or both? Share your experiences and opinions of the two by leaving a comment. Nutritionist or Dietitian? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 15:32:29. Permalink | Comment | Email this |