Depression

PLEASE NOTE: Depression is a serious medical condition that requires the supervision of a medical doctor. Mild or preclinical cases may sometimes be completely healed using these Ayurvedic recommendations, but they are not a substitute for consulting with a physician.

If you are already under a doctor’s care for depression, the Ayurvedic remedies suggested here can be used in conjunction with the regimen outlined by your physician. But it is only fair and proper to do so with his or her approval and supervision.

Ask your doctor to carefully monitor your progress. As time goes by, you may be able to minimize or eliminate your dependence on strong medications if your body’s balance can be brought to a point where diet, exercise, and other Ayurvedic programs are sufficient to control or eliminate the depression.

Clinical depression is more than just a low or heavy mood. The symptoms of depression include a loss of interest in friends and usual activities; sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, early morning awakening, or oversleeping; anxiety, irritability, or restlessness; low energy and fatigue; poor appetite and weight loss, or sometimes the reverse, overeating and weight gain; difficulty concentrating and making decisions; decreased sex drive; feelings of worthlessness and guilt; feelings of hopelessness and helplessness; frequent crying spells; and suicidal thoughts.

The genesis of depression, from an Ayurvedic perspective, is too complex to lay out here. In brief we can say that because of specific etiological factors, vata from the colon, pitta from the intestine, or kapha from the stomach enters the general circulation and lodges in the nervous system, interferes with normal functioning of the mind and nervous system, and causes depression.

The resulting depression may be vata, pitta, or kapha. Each of these three types of depression is treated in different ways, though the first step for each is to bring the diet in line with the guidelines for vata-, pitta-, and kapha-pacifying diets (see chapter 8). This is important—please don’t overlook it!

VATA DEPRESSION

Vata-type depression is generally associated with fear, anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. The following home remedies will help dissolve a mild vata depression:

• Drink dashamoola tea. Steep 1 teaspoon of the herb dashamoola in 1 cup of hot water, and drink. Take twice a day.
• Make a tea from equal proportions of ashwagandha and brahmi (about ⅓ to ½ teaspoon each), steep in a cup of water for about 10 minutes, and drink 2 or 3 times a day.
• Another domestic remedy for depression is a tea made of holy basil (tulsi) and sage. Use ¼ teaspoon tulsi and ½ teaspoon of sage per cup of hot water; drink twice a day.
• Nose drops of warm sesame oil (3 to 5 drops in each nostril) are effective for relieving depression (see appendix 3). Do this nasya procedure morning and evening on an empty stomach.
• Rubbing the top of the head and the soles of the feet with sesame oil is quite soothing to vata and healing for vata depression.
• Psychologically, one factor that sustains vata depression is loneliness. Try to spend more time relating to people; it will help lift the depression.

PITTA DEPRESSION

Pitta-type depression is generally associated with anger, or with fear of failure, of losing control, or of making mistakes; it often involves thoughts of committing suicide. It is serious; you should consult your doctor.

Of course it is possible to have a mild pitta depression, caused by failing an examination, not getting a promotion at work, or some such thing. A pitta person can be quite addicted to success and, when he or she doesn’t succeed, can easily become upset and depressed. This type of depression may not last long or be too severe.

Pittas are most vulnerable to SAD, seasonal affective disorder, a fairly mild form of depression that usually occurs in the winter.

For all types of pitta depression, use the following simple but effective remedies:

• Rub some coconut oil or sunflower oil onto your scalp and the soles of your feet at bedtime.
• Drink gotu kola or brahmi tea or ginkgo tea 2 or 3 times a day. Use ½ teaspoon of herbs in a cup of hot water.
• Mix equal amounts of these three herbs:

brahmi
jatamamsi
shatavari

Take ½ to 1 teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water, as a tea.

• Use brahmi ghee nose drops, 3 to 5 drops in each nostril, twice a day on an empty stomach.
• Meditate. A few minutes of meditation will be helpful in healing pitta depression. See chapter 7 for some hints on meditation.

KAPHA DEPRESSION

Kapha depression creates a sense of mental heaviness and is associated with excess sleep, weight gain, drowsiness, and lousiness! The following natural remedies may bring great relief from kapha depression:

• Fast for 3 to 4 days on apple juice. This will work wonders to lighten the heaviness of a kapha depression.
• Increase the amount of exercise you do.
• Drink ginger tea (½ to 1 teaspoon of ginger powder steeped in hot water) twice a day.

TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR

If your depression doesn’t soon begin to lift as a result of using these Ayurvedic home remedies, please consult a doctor.

• Make the following herbal compound:

sarasvati 2 parts
punarnava 3 parts
chitrak 3 parts

Take this mixture 3 times a day. Put ½ teaspoon of the powder on your tongue, and wash it down with warm water.

• Put 5 drops of punarnava ghee in each nostril twice a day. (See appendix 2 for instructions on how to prepare your own medicated ghees and oils.)
• The Sun Salutation (12 repetitions a day), Shoulder Stand, and Plow pose are recommended yoga asanas for depression. Also do the Maha Mudra. Other recommended postures are the Bow pose and the Vajrasana (Sitting on the Heels). (Illustrations of yoga asanas appear in appendix 4.)
• The breathing exercise known as ujjayi pranayama is also beneficial for healing kapha depression. (See instructions in chapter 6.)