Depression
Supplements studied for depression.
Overview
St. John's Wort has the strongest evidence (DEX Score 88, 28 studies): standardized extracts at 600–1800 mg daily appear effective for mild to moderate depression versus placebo and comparable to some SSRIs in short-term trials. Vitamin B9 (Folate) (DEX Score 68; medium effect size, very high evidence, medium trust) may modestly augment antidepressants, especially when folate is low, but is not a substitute for medication.
Curcumin (~1 g daily), SAMe, and Zinc (DEX Score 72; medium effect size, high evidence, very high trust) show medium-strength but mixed results. Curcumin may work best with antidepressants; SAMe alone matches some drugs in short trials but add-on benefits are unclear; zinc 7–25 mg daily with antidepressants modestly improved symptoms in some studies. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for all 42 supplements.
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Relevant supplements heatmap
Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.
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SupplementDEX Database
42 supplements for , , and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.
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Evidence visualised
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Visual summaries of supplement evidence ranked by condition.
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