What to take for mood
Graded by the strength of the evidence — strongest first. Nothing here is sold to you.
St. John's Wortgrade B— effective for mild-to-moderate depression in trials Saffrongrade B— multiple RCTs show benefit for mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, comparable to low-dose SSRIs in small trials Vitamin Dgrade C— small mood benefit, mostly in people who are deficient 5-HTPgrade C— preliminary antidepressant signal; small, lower-quality studies N-Acetylcysteinegrade C— preliminary evidence as an adjunct in some psychiatric conditions; not established as a standalone Omega-3grade C— small benefit for depressive symptoms, clearest with higher-EPA formulations Creatinegrade C— emerging evidence as an adjunct for depressive symptoms; trials small Zincgrade C— may augment antidepressant response; deficiency-correction likely matters Probioticsgrade C— small effects on mood/anxiety in some "psychobiotic" trials; strain-specific, heterogeneous Turmericgrade C— curcumin may reduce depressive symptoms as an adjunct; bioavailability-limited Folatestudied, no effect— Folic acid not recommended for unipolar depression Vitamin Cstudied, no effect— Not recommended for unipolar depression Myo-Inositolstudied, no effect— Not recommended for unipolar depression Magnesiumstudied, no effect— Not recommended for unipolar depression Rhodiolastudied, no effect— Not recommended for mood disorders