Depression can be a serious illness, as well all these ailments in this blog, see your health care provider for any medical problem. For the purposes of mild to occasional depression, we will discuss some herbs used to give a temporary mental lift; however, you should also concentrate on what is causing your depression it it seems to be ongoing.

If your goal is to wean yourself from your depression medication whiile your nervous system responds to your consistent use of herbal remedies and other supplements, you can work toward that goal. However, this should only be attempted under supervision! Do not base your efforts solely on the suggestions given to you here!

Do yourself a favor and work with your physician and a qualified herbalist to guide you in your goals. Otherwise, for occasional "down times" and if you are not already on antidepressants, try the suggestions given here to lift your sagging spirits.

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a pleasing looking yellow flowering herb used by many as a mood enhancer and a stress reliever. This herb has become popular in the media and among consumers in the United States lately. Of course, German have known about its positive effects on depression for some time, and doctors there write more prescriptions for St. John's wort than for antidepressant drugs. (Maybe they are on to something there).

A wonderful combination of Chinese herbs used to beat mild depression that seems to linger over your head like a dark cloud is a combination containing perilla, saussurea, gambir, bamboo, bupleurum, pinellia, aurantium, zhishi, ophiopogon, cyprerus, platycodon, lingusticum dang gui, panax ginseng, hoelen, coptis, ginger, and licorice.

This combination will work on decongesting the liver which can help lift depression. Another good single herb to use along with this Chinese combination is milk thistle. Besides stemming from a burdened liver, depression can be brought about by other physical factors, including nervous system or chemical imbalances, thyroid problems, or circulatory problems.

The B-complex vitamins can help combat stress and should always be considered when depressed. Zinc is another mineral crucial to mental health, and a zinc deficency should not be overlooked with serious depression. You might want to consider some extra steps as well if you cannot seem to snap out of depression:

• Find yourself a good counselor/psychiatrist/psychologist.
• Get some exercise.
• Temporarily change your environment to help stimulate a change in your mood.
• Act happy! The saying goes that if you act happy, you will eventually be happy. Smile and tell me you're cranky, try it!
• Remember the big picture, and get philosophical. Things don't seem so glum when you realize that there is a universal order that everything happens for a reason.
• Try helping someone else who's worse off than yourself. Remember that we all have something to offer the world. So don't be sad, be glad you have something to offer!
• Give your cat some catnip and watch her play!