The Herb & Supplement Thread

[Zanshin]

Usually just one cup of coffee in the morning, with rare exceptions. The green tea is tasty and seems to ease things a bit, I appreciate the tip on it. I'm on Tetley decaf though I picked up some flavored ones to try as well. :) Not sure if I can do grapefruit juice...

Melatonin gives me worse nightmares than usual and I'm not on any prescription ones - trying to avoid starting those.

Vit D and iron can make a difference as well, if either of those levels are low I'm in trouble.

 

[rascal]

Just started taking quercetin and bromelain - natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. My allergies are pretty much gone and I don't have that drugged up feeling from taking OTC stuff. I got turned onto antihistamines after I had some interesting results with Benadryl and Zyrtec, and found that stress is linked to high histamine levels. I recommend it to anyone struggling with fogginess, neck tension, sinus headache type symptoms that seem to be the way my PTSD has manifested.

 

[Zanshin]

Interesting, thanks. Singulair set me off something fierce, so I know that one is in the "no-fly" list.

 

[The Albatross]

I can do Singular but have difficulty with the generic... supplements like bromelain made me reactive cuz the ones I tried used pineapple... really allergic to pineapple.. so due diligence is required for peeps with allergies.

 

[Zanshin]

It may have been a generic - it was bad enough I won't try again. Thanks for the heads up about pineapple, too - would not have expected that.

 

[heyheyhey]

This is a great thread. I'd add chelated magnesium. It works great to keep my anxiety at manageable...

Hey @CrowFeather - how much do you take? I'm trying to move towards a diet with lots of greens and fruit and veg and don't want to overdo it but very interested to try this for my anxiety :). Thank you!

 

[247]

My wife is starting PTSD therapy. She is two sessions into EDMR treatment. She is severely depressed and anxious. Went to the doctor and got rx of Xanax. My wife was thinking about using marijauna to self medicate while she goes through her treatment since it is legal here in Washington. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I love the other ideas on this thread as well

 

[Femke]

Thanks for all the advice. I'd prefer to not use anything, but if needed I prefer the natural route. I am currently on antipsychotic meds against my wishes, but I'd like to replace (part of) my meds with herbs. I am definitely going to look into Holy basil and the other herbs you people adviced.

I myself have tried several herbs.

Saffron was a favorite. It immediately lifted some of the depression, anxiety and even psychosis (I have PTSS with psychotic symptoms). After months of deep darkness, I had some good days on saffron right away. It's supposed to work even better if you take it regularly for weeks or months. It's also supposed to counteract the side effects of regular meds, like weight gain and loss of libido. It does have withdrawals and side effects. I was a bit more foggy on the days I used it, but not anywhere near as zombielike as on regular meds.

CBD is another one I liked. It helped against everything: PTSD, depression, anxiety and psychosis. I got a bit dreamy from the CBD in a high dose, but again: not nearly as zombielike as on regular meds. If I'd have the money, I'd replace my antipsychotic with CBD tomorrow.

 

[PTSDfree]

My wife is starting PTSD therapy. She is two sessions into EDMR treatment. She is severely depressed an...

I'm from Colorado and swear by it for nightmares. Finding the right strains can be a bit of trial and error, but it's definitely worth it.

 

[rascal]

Thanks for all the advice. I'd prefer to not use anything, but if needed I prefer the natural route. I am...

I wish I had access to CBD where I live (and the money).

I've since drifted away from the Holy Basil... it worked for when I needed it. Now I'm big on cayenne pepper for neuropathic and joint pain. It also gives a calming focused energy, much like caffeine, without the jitters and edginess. I really like it for where I'm at right now.

Lemon balm from the garden is also proving to be very relaxing throughout the day without causing too much drowsiness.

Also, I went against my original post and started drinking chamomile tea again. I know it augments the GABA receptors somehow (which gives it a mechanism of action similar to benzos) but I'm not too concerned at this point. I don't notice any benzo-like symptoms from drinking it (addiction/withdrawal loopiness) and it helps me get to sleep.

I'm currently big into using food as medicine. If I find any foods that help, I'll be sure to share them. Milk is helping me sleep also but I think that's primarily blood sugar related. I make a chamomile tea with milk and top it off with cinnamon at night and that really knocks me out.

Great responses in this thread, btw. Thanks to all.

 

[sedna]

My husband has been trying to get me to use kava kava for a few years now, but I have heard it can bri...

Kava can create liver damage pretty easily, especially if your on meds that are hard on the liver also or have a history of substance issues.
Valerian is better.

 

[sedna]

Has anyone tried chromium picolinate-? It's supposed to keep blood sugar levels stable. Thank you for this...

@C j chromium can make your sugar levels go off also- the dosage is really trial and error until you get it right, start off low.