What is the best herbal remedy to treat anxiety and depression?

st johnswort they say, but watch what you take it with.

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St. John’s Wort has been wonderful for me — it has worked, and the only side effect I have is my son (it overmetabolized my birth control pills). And after the initial shock, that was a gift!First — you need to be sure that you are not clinically depressed, because that may need a different type of medication/therapy. Second — if you are on blood thinners, birth control pills, or other types of medication that can be affected by it, you should consult your doctor before trying it. It also can make you more likely to get sunburn. By the way, my OB/GYN knew I was on St. John’s Wort — and I had been for over 2 years — but after I had my son in 1999 a bunch of articles started appearing about some medications being affected by it. It just wasn’t known then that it could happen.Third — it takes several weeks (usually 4 to 6) to really begin to feel a difference. The reason I started it is that I saw a show on 60 minutes about it. I have always been kind of moody, and I would overthink things. I read the book they talked about on the show, and tried to find out more about it from other areas, too. When I started it I was overwhelmed with work and life and instead of trying to wade my way through it, I was just vegging in front of the tv every night. Chores even weighed heavy on me, I just couldn’t seem to get anything done, and was constantly behind. About 3-4 weeks into taking it, I suddenly realized that my kitchen was clean, my laundry was finished, and I didn’t dwell and lament over the fact that I “had soooo much to do” I just did it. For me it worked, and worked in a very noticable way. I stopped over thinking, and feeling anxious, and feeling overwhelmed. For others, they say nothing changed. I think it depends on the chemistry of the brain — I didn’t start being “good” to myself (eating better, exercising, etc.) until I started feeling better, so I can honestly say that the only thing that changed was that I was taking this herb, and doing things the way I usually did, until I started to have more energy and got more things done. The reason I wanted to go herbal is because I didn’t want to be dependent on a pharmacutical drug. In fact, I’ve read a couple of reports just in the last month that say that it is very difficult to get off of anti-depressants, and that was something that I was concerned about. I was off St. John’s Wort for over 2 years (I stopped them after I got pregnant and nursed for 2 years). I don’t take it regularly anymore, but when I do take it I usually take it for a month or two. Oh, it’s important to take the recommended dose of 900 milligrams (3 pills) a day.Try to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eat healthy, that will help too.