St. John's Wort

Natural Remedies for Mild Depression Dark thoughts spread across your mind like autumn fog. You no longer enjoy what you used to love. Energy is scattered. Sleep is disrupted or you sleep too much. Food has no taste. You tell yourself it is normal, just a tough period, but actually it is depression. Mild depression, but depression nonetheless. This is not frustration, this is not the exhaustion of a tiring day. This is a change in your brain chemistry, whether you recognize it or not. Our grandparents knew plants that brought the soul back. Mild depression can be healed with nature’s remedies, but you must be honest: if it is severe and persistent, you need professional help. ...

Natural Remedies for Menopause IMPORTANT: Menopause is a natural stage in every woman’s life, not a disease. However, if your symptoms are severe (very frequent hot flashes that disrupt your sleep, marked depression, disabling joint pain, unusual bleeding after menopause has been established), consult a gynecologist. Vaginal bleeding that occurs after 12 months of no menstruation requires immediate investigation. Menopause doesn’t arrive overnight. It usually begins several years earlier, during that phase called perimenopause, when cycles become irregular, sleep isn’t what it used to be, and out of nowhere you wake up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night. My grandmother called it “the change of life” and treated it with a cup of sage tea morning and evening. She was right, even though she didn’t know why back then. Today, studies confirm that many of the plants women used in the village really do have measurable effects on climacteric symptoms. ...

Natural Remedies for Sciatica IMPORTANT: Sciatica can have various causes, from a simple piriformis muscle spasm to a severe herniated disc. The remedies in this article are useful for mild and moderate forms. If pain is accompanied by persistent numbness, muscle weakness, or loss of sphincter control, seek medical attention immediately. Never replace medical treatment without your specialist’s approval. Sciatica is not a disease in itself, but a symptom: pain that starts in the lower back, travels down through the buttock, along the back of the thigh, sometimes all the way to the calf and foot. The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in the human body, roughly the size of your little finger, and when irritated or compressed, it can keep you in bed for weeks. Country grandmothers knew this pain well and had entire recipe books with St. John’s wort, horseradish, and mustard that treated people in the villages until they were back on their feet. ...