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Psychedelic Drug Ayahuasca Improves Hard-to-Treat Depression

  • April 19, 2017

A psychedelic drug with a bitter taste that makes you sick is being hailed as a possible treatment for severe depression in people who have not responded to normal antidepressants. According to researchers speaking with New Scientist, ayahuasca showed “dramatic improvements” in those suffering with depression, compared to a placebo.

The idea of drinking something so nasty that you literally throw up after consuming it — followed by a psychedelic experience that may or may not be pleasant — is repugnant at best. For one thing, how many people are there, really, who want to go through all that to address depression, especially when there are natural supplements you can take and other things you can do, instead?

One reason many people’s antidepressants don’t work is because some studies have shown that these drugs, themselves, work no better than placebo in terms of effectiveness. But when you “boost” them with things like fish oil, vitamin D, forms of B vitamins and SAMe, you can often get yourself on the road to recovery without swallowing a bitter alternative.

Considering the fact that in some instances antidepressants can even worsen depression, perhaps patients would experience the same or even better results just by taking the supplements alone, without the drug.

If that's indeed the case, then why risk your health by taking an antidepressant? In fact, other studies have shown that both omega-3 and vitamin D can help improve mental health all on their own. Additionally, an increasing number of clinical studies have confirmed that treating gastrointestinal inflammation with probiotics, omega-3, and vitamins B and D can improve symptoms of depression by attenuating pro-inflammatory stimuli to your brain that originate in your gut.