Supplements for depression
37 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oils and herbs that are genuinely sold for depression — what the research says about each, what it interacts with, and where the honest answer is that the evidence is thin.
There appear to be hundreds of these on any shop's shelves. There are not: nearly all of them are the same few dozen ingredients wearing different labels, and a great many blends are four cheap things plus one expensive-sounding one. This list covers the ingredients, which is what you need when you turn a bottle over — including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones a pansari here will offer and a Western list leaves out.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
Start with a blood test, not a bottle
Several things on this list only help if you are actually short of them, and being short of them can look a great deal like depression on its own — exhaustion, poor concentration, low mood, broken sleep. Vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency are all common in Pakistan and all cheap to test for. Testing first is the difference between correcting a real problem and buying a supplement your body throws away.
Jump to: Vitamins and minerals (11) · Amino acids and related compounds (9) · Fats and oils (3) · Herbs and botanicals (10) · Hormones, bacteria and fungi (4)
Vitamins and minerals
The ones worth a blood test before a purchase. If you are short of any of these, correcting it does more for how you feel than anything else on this page.
Folate
Best evidence is as an add-on when an antidepressant is only half working.
Mixed evidenceIron
Never take it without a blood test. Untreated anaemia is exhausting; unneeded iron is dangerous.
Mixed evidenceMagnesium
Cheap, mostly harmless, modest evidence — and the form on the label decides whether you absorb it.
Mixed evidenceVitamin B12
A genuine deficiency can look exactly like depression. Test rather than guess.
Mixed evidenceVitamin D
Worth testing for. Low mood is a real symptom of deficiency, and deficiency is widespread here.
Mixed evidenceZinc
Modest add-on evidence. Easy to overdo, and overdoing it causes its own problems.
Weak evidenceB-complex
Reasonable insurance if your diet is poor. Not a treatment, and not a substitute for testing B12.
Weak evidenceMultivitamin
A sensible floor under a poor diet. Not a treatment, and not a reason to skip a blood test.
Weak evidenceSelenium
A narrow safe window and thin mood evidence. Do not stack it.
Weak evidenceVitamin B6
Some evidence for anxiety at high doses — and high doses are exactly what damages nerves.
Weak evidenceVitamin C
Cheap and harmless, with very little evidence that it does anything for mood.
Amino acids and related compounds
Building blocks the body turns into neurotransmitters. Several of these are the ones most likely to interact badly with an antidepressant, so read the warnings.
SAM-e
One of the better-evidenced non-prescription options — and one of the riskiest to combine.
Mixed evidenceAcetyl-L-carnitine
Some positive trials, particularly in older adults and in nerve pain with low mood.
Mixed evidenceCreatine
The gym supplement with a real, if small, mood literature — particularly in women.
Mixed evidenceInositol
Some real trial support in panic and OCD, at doses far above what most bottles hold.
Mixed evidenceNAC
Genuinely interesting for picking, pulling and compulsions. Weaker for depression itself.
Weak evidence5-HTP
Sold as a natural serotonin booster. That is exactly why it is risky alongside an antidepressant.
Weak evidenceCiticoline
A cognition supplement with thin mood evidence. Better studied for attention than sadness.
Weak evidenceL-tryptophan
The step before 5-HTP, with the same interaction risk and a contamination history.
Weak evidenceL-tyrosine
Helps thinking under stress and sleep loss. No good evidence it treats depression.
Fats and oils
The best-established supplement story in depression, and the one where the label on the back of the bottle decides whether you are taking a studied dose or not.
Omega-3 (fish oil)
One of the better-supported add-ons — but the ratio matters, and most bottles get it wrong.
Weak evidenceCod liver oil
Traditional, cheap, and carrying a vitamin A ceiling that fish oil does not.
Weak evidenceKrill oil
Omega-3 in a more expensive package, with no mood evidence of its own.
Herbs and botanicals
Plants, including the Unani and Ayurvedic ones sold by every pansari here. Natural does not mean gentle: this section contains both the strongest herbal evidence and the most dangerous interactions on the site.
Saffron
Surprisingly well-studied for something in your kitchen, with consistently positive small trials.
Reasonable human evidenceSt John's Wort
It genuinely works for mild to moderate depression — and it is the most dangerous interaction on this page.
Mixed evidenceAshwagandha
The best-studied herb for anxiety and stress — with a liver-safety question that deserves an honest mention.
Mixed evidenceCurcumin (turmeric)
Some genuinely positive trials — and your body absorbs almost none of it from food.
Weak evidenceBlack seed (kalonji)
Culturally important and broadly safe, with early and low-quality mood evidence.
Weak evidenceLiquorice root (mulethi)
Sold for "adrenal fatigue", which is not a diagnosis, and it can dangerously raise blood pressure.
Weak evidencePanax ginseng
Better evidence for tiredness than for mood, and it can make anxiety worse.
Weak evidenceRhodiola
Some promise for fatigue and burnout. Thin evidence for depression itself.
Weak evidenceShilajit
Enormously popular here, thinly studied, and the contamination risk is the real story.
Weak evidenceSiberian ginseng (eleuthero)
A different plant from ginseng, sold under a borrowed name, with weak evidence.
Hormones, bacteria and fungi
Hormones, gut bacteria and mushrooms. Different risks from everything above, and the gap between what is marketed and what has been shown is widest here.
DHEA
A hormone, not a vitamin. Some trial support, and it should not be taken casually.
Mixed evidenceMelatonin
A body-clock signal, not a sleeping pill — and sleep is often the thread worth pulling.
Weak evidenceLion's mane
Fashionable, with a couple of tiny human studies and a great deal of extrapolation from mice.
Weak evidenceProbiotics
A real and interesting field of research that has not yet produced a reliable product.
How to read the labels above
- Reasonable human evidence — several decent trials in people, with the effect showing up more than once.
- Mixed evidence — some trials positive, others found nothing, or the studies were small and short.
- Weak evidence — widely sold, but the human research is thin or missing.
- Safety concern — harm has been reported that outweighs any benefit shown.
None of these ratings mean a supplement will or will not work for you. They describe the strength of the research, which is a different thing.
Three things worth knowing before you buy anything
Natural does not mean harmless. St John's Wort can stop hormonal contraception working and is dangerous alongside an antidepressant. Kava has caused liver failure. Iron that you did not need can damage your heart and liver, and iron tablets are a leading cause of poisoning in small children. Every page here carries its own warnings for a reason.
Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including anything from a pansari. They cannot warn you about an interaction they do not know about, and herbal products are the ones people most often leave off the list.
Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead. Stopping suddenly can make you very unwell, and the supplement with the best evidence here has only been shown to help mild to moderate depression.
If this is more than a supplement question
If you have felt like this for weeks, or it is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, the thing most likely to help is not on this page. Talk to us — ask a question, free and anonymous, or message us on WhatsApp. If you would rather see a professional, our directory lists them by city.