Herbal remedies can ward off fall blues by strengthening our body’s coping mechanisms and allowing it to navigate the effects of seasonal affective disorder.
The end of summer is marked by reduced daylight hours and cooler temperatures. Some welcome this seasonal change with the longing for hot chocolate, a hearty stew, or more rest—others dread the looming loss of daylight.
Individuals who experience the negative impacts of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that usually hits when entering the fall or winter season, await the reality of how heavy this year’s onslaught of symptoms might be.
The Validity of SAD
The indicators for seasonal affective disorder present in various ways:
- Feelings of sadness, leading to potential (mild) depression
- Lack of energy
- Loss of interest in usual activities
- Change in sleep pattern—oversleeping or hypersomnia, at times also insomnia
- Weight gain
Psychiatrists have long been researching the phenomenon of what seems to be a seasonally limited form of depression. In 1984, Norman Rosenthal performed a clinical trial, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry and coined the term seasonal affective disorder. According to Rosenthal, SAD was marked by recurring depression each year at the same time.
In 1994, a study investigating light’s effects on patients with SAD was published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. However, among the 1,571 observed individuals, the fall/winter oversleeping only differed slightly from the general population’s. What did change was the sleep architecture of SAD patients, which was reversed by bright-light therapy and the change in season.
Hence, a March study set out to verify the existence and validity of seasonal affective disorder. Results published in the Journal of Affective Disorders support the constructs’ legitimacy.
Scientists selected 143 patients with SAD during winter and monitored them over the following summer months. During the clinical trial, researchers treated patients with light therapy and group cognitive-behavioral therapy, then compared the results. Neither treatment alleviated all SAD symptoms. However, 79 percent showed a complete remission of all their depression symptoms during the sunny season.
Neurochemical Culprits
Neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine are involved in our sleep-wake cycle. Serotonin, which stems from the brain’s pineal gland, is used to produce the hormone melatonin, which is involved in managing the circadian rhythm.
Dopamine, however, stops the effects of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Instead of making you sleepy, this chemical allows you to perk up.
The importance of the “hormone of darkness” is described in a 2024 article published in the journal Molecular Neurobiology. According to the research, melatonin has a broad effect on major organs, such as the heart, the liver, and the brain. It can even modulate the immune system.
Based on a 2019 review, which included randomized controlled trials and was published in Cochrane Library, the conclusion that melatonin could, therefore, prevent the symptoms of SAD was not confirmed. However, a high dropout rate of study participants might have impacted these results.
Another treatment discussed in the review was agomelatine, an atypical antidepressant commonly sold as Valdoxan and Thymanax and prescribed by doctors to treat anxiety disorders and major depressive disorders. Although an earlier clinical trial published in the journal Psychopharmacology suggests the validity of such treatment, the study group was small and included 37 patients. The authors of the more recent review did not find certain evidence to back up this claim.
Treatment of Seasonal Disorders
Conventional treatment for the disorder, outlined in detail in the book “Seasonal Affective Disorders” and StatPearls in 2024, includes bright light therapy, psychotherapy (including cognitive-behavioral therapy), antidepressant medication, and vitamin D supplementation.
However, natural approaches to addressing the disorder are available. Mindful preparation for the change of seasons and an employment of phytopharmaceuticals, plant-derived compounds with medicinal qualities, such as homeopathy and herbal remedies can help.
Natural Approaches
Seasonal affective disorder returns year after year in what seems to be an endless cycle. Patients feel their life being invigorated in spring only to have the energy withdrawn again in fall—when coming back to the dark half of the year.
Karen Leadbeater, a licensed homeopath in the south west of England in Tavistock, Devon, since 1998, addresses the topic on her blog, Navigating Seasonal Change with Homeopathy.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Leadbeater reflected on the importance of light for most living creatures, including humans.
She sees it as a form of essential nutrient and circles back to “the hormone of darkness.”
Leadbeater deciphers the disorder through a homeopathic lens of health and disease—naturally, this makes her think beyond melatonin and tune into each individual’s own history of life experiences, events, and sensitivities. She looks at the entire story when treating a patient.
“For some, SAD may be rooted in a lifelong sensitivity to light and the way it impacts their endocrine system. Moving into the dark half of the year may stir up early or unconscious associations or act as a painful reminder of past events. It may also be helpful to look back at the time in the person’s life when their depression first manifested and explore whether there were life changes or difficult circumstances occurring at that time,” Leadbeater said.
The homeopath’s approach to seasonal affective disorder includes:
- Good nutrition, rich in protein, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids
- Full-spectrum sunlight (as much as possible, which means visiting the outdoors even during the cold winter months and allowing light to directly reach the eyes—unimpeded by windows or eyeglasses)
- Homeopathic remedies
Homeopathic Remedies
Leadbeater draws from decades of experience with her patients when she recommends the following remedies.
Colchicum
Leadbeater uses Colchicum especially for people whose symptoms “feel worse when the weather becomes cold and damp” or general worsening during the change in weather. She also uses it for those who get strongly aggravated during autumn.
This homeopathic medicine stems from the plant Colchicum autumnale, also known as autumn crocus or meadow saffron.
“The plant is remarkable in that its flowers appear in autumn, some time before the leaves, which appear the following spring. This is the reason for another of its common names—naked ladies,” she said.
“As one might expect from the unprotected state of the flower, those whose symptoms correspond to Colchicum are highly sensitive to external influences, from weather to odors, noise, and light,” she continued.
Aurum
This remedy is made from metallic gold, also known as “sun metal,” since one could find it close to the surface of the earth.
Leadbeater utilizes this homeopathic resource when treating patients strongly touched by sunlight and darkness.
“They crave sunlight and find winter difficult to tolerate. They tend to be responsible and hard-working individuals, prone to low mood and self-criticism. The depressive tendency is aggravated by low light—dull cloudy weather, and during the winter months,” she said.
Phosphorus
Patients best suited for phosphorus are usually “very sensitive to changes in light and in weather, extroverted and impressionable. They respond physically and mentally to weather changes, and tend to low mood in the darker months,” said Leadbeater.
However, “these effects can be eased a little in the light of the company of good friends, dancing, and chocolate,” and by phosphorus, which is crucial to all life, “including for example, in plant cells where it is essential to the process of photosynthesis—transforming light energy from the sun into chemical energy for metabolic processes.”
She continued, “This remedy is made from white phosphorus, a flammable element in its natural form, whose name means ‘light bearer’ in Greek since it glows faintly on exposure to oxygen.”
Additional Treatments
The following are some non-pharmaceutical treatments that could provide relief.
Sol and UV light
Leadbeater mentioned that other non-pharmacological therapies can also be part of a homeopathic treatment. For instance, full-spectrum sunlight (Sol) and UV light (UV-lux) are potential remedies.
These treatments would be the course of action if a SAD-patient struggles with insomnia or depression.
“Sol is sometimes used in cases where insomnia is part of the SAD picture, and Uv-lux has been effective in some cases of winter depression,” Leadbeater said.
Bright Light Therapy
Light therapy as a possible treatment for SAD was the topic in a 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The search included database entries from 1975 to 2022 and resulted in 21 randomized controlled trials involving 1,037 participants.
The results were conclusive. “… bright light therapy is a promising first-line non-pharmacological treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), showing significant improvement in mood symptoms compared to placebo,” wrote the researchers.
As an intervention for SAD, bright light therapy is effective and well-tolerated.
Gentle Herbs
The intricate balance between the nervous system, the circadian cycle, light and dark, and rest and arousal always plays a role when the approach to seasonal affective disorder is holistic.
As a community herbalist, I always look to the plant world for potential solutions. In addressing SAD, three special herbal allies come to mind that are nervines, meaning calming to the nerves, but also have antidepressant and antianxiety properties.
In this way, the human systems are allowed to balance themselves instead of being overwhelmed in one direction or another.
Linden
An international study between scientists from Italy, France, and the United States was published in 2024 by the journal Medical Sciences. In addition to melatonin, hawthorn, and vitamin B1, the researchers also tested the medicinal parts of the linden tree, which was found to be sedative and anxiolytic in previous in-vitro and animal studies.
Receiving a linden food supplement combined with the three above-mentioned active ingredients, a total of 56 participants partook in the trial. The study confirmed Linden’s qualities to promote relaxation and “possibly sleep in cases of stress.”
For a cup of linden flower tea, pour 8 ounces of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of the dried plant matter and steep covered for 15 minutes. You can take three to four cups daily. Linden flower tea is very mild and usually without contraindications. However, strong doses might have the opposite effect and cause excitability.
Valerian
A melatonin-free supplement, which included the root valerian, was examined in a randomized, double-blind trial and published in 2023 in Nutrients. Participants included 620 patients who complained about sleep disturbances, stress, and anxiety.
Study group A received 75 milligrams (mg) of each, hops and valerian oil, and a low dosage of THC ((0.35mg). Study group B received a lower dosage of 20 mg or a placebo and an increased amount (0.85mg) of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Researchers found “a significant difference in sleep disturbance, anxiety, stress, and well-being between Sleep A and placebo.”
Researchers observed, “that a botanical blend containing lower amounts of THC and higher amounts of GABA hops oil, and valerian oil significantly improved sleep quality, anxiety, stress, and overall well-being in healthy individuals with a desire for better sleep.” The blend with higher amounts of THC and the placebo were not as effective.
Valerian is a relaxant antispasmodic that can be sedative and at times a mild stimulant (especially during dreaming). It can be used for a preparation of medicinal tea: ½–1 teaspoon dried valerian root to 10 ounces water, steep covered for 30 minutes. Take 4 ounces twice daily, once right before bed.
Lemon Balm
The effects of lemon balm leaves on depression and anxiety in clinical trials were the topic of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Phytotherapy Research in 2021. Lemon balm significantly improved average anxiety and depression scores compared with the placebo.
A 2022 article in the journal Molecules also features lemon balm as a possible herbal medicinal treatment for depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental disorders.
Sometimes called “liquid lemony sunshine,” lemon balm is excellent in herbal protocols for seasonal affective disorder treating sleep difficulties stemming from anxiety.
Lemon balm works well when utilizing its essential oil in aromatherapy, or as a tea, using the plant’s dried leaves: 1–2 teaspoon to 8-ounces water, steep covered 15–30 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups daily.
Other potential herbal allies include kava root, St. John’s wort, gingko, and ashwagandha, states a 10-year updated review published in the journal of Phytotherapy Research. Nutrition and lifestyle adjustments are further approaches to address seasonal affective disorders.
Note:
Please consult with your local herbalist for all individualized herbal recommendations and dosages. If you are on any medications, consult with a physician before taking herbal supplements. The author is writing for informational purposes only and is not acting in the capacity of a doctor or licensed dietitian-nutritionist.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.theepochtimes.com by Alexandra Roach where all credits are due.
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