- Review of all depression supplements - Perplexity AI July 2025
- See related in Vitamin D Life
- Understanding the research landscape of over-the-counter herbal products, dietary supplements, and medications evaluated for depressive symptoms in adults: a scoping review - July 2025
- Depression Prevention - Zinc is best supplement thus far - Perplexity AI July 2025
Review of all depression supplements - Perplexity AI July 2025
See related in Vitamin D Life
- Anxiety, depression, and suicide have recently surged (Note: Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Magnesium help) – May 2022
- Depression treatments: diet, exercise, bright light, Vitamin D, B12, Omega-3, Zinc, Music, etc. – May 2019
- The only 3 SUPPLEMENTS you will ever need (Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Omega-3) - March 2025
- Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Magnesium are synergistic - many studies
Consider taking a good form of all three concurrently to reduce depression and many many other health problems
Magnesium
- Magnesium fights: Depression, Migraine, Alzheimer’s, etc. - review July 2025
- Depression greatly reduced by taking 250 mg of Magnesium Chloride daily for 6 weeks– RCT June 2017
- Depression is associated with low Magnesium – meta-analysis April 2015
Omega-3
- Happy Nurses Project gave Omega-3 for 3 months – reduced depression, insomnia, anxiety, etc for a year – RCT July 2018
- Omega-3 helps treat Major Depression – International Consensus Sept 2019
- Benefits of Omega-3 plus Vitamin D were additive – RCT Sept 2021
- Omega 3 increases vitamin D in the blood – many studies
Vitamin D
- Major Depressive Disorder RCTs often use Vitamin D: 50,000 IU weekly or single 300,000 IU - Review May 2025
- No depression if Vitamin D is greater than 96 ng (extrapolation) - July 2024
- Depression reduced by 8,000 IU of Vitamin D daily – meta-analysis Nov 2024
- Depression 1.6 X more likely if low Vitamin D, taking Vitamin D reduces depression – umbrella of meta-analyses – Jan 2023
- More depression if less vitamin D getting to cells (poor VDR) – March 2024
- Depression cost-effectively reduced by 50,000 IU of Vitamin D monthly (Iranian teens) – July 2023
Note: Standard Vitamin D and Omega-3 are both far more effective if taken with a fatty meal (ignored by most trials)
- Liposomal Vitamin D appears to have a 3X faster and better response
- Water-dispersible forms of vitamins A, D, E and K are better
- Far more effective forms of many supplements - liposomal, emulsion, etc.
St. John's Wort
Understanding the research landscape of over-the-counter herbal products, dietary supplements, and medications evaluated for depressive symptoms in adults: a scoping review - July 2025
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jul 15:16:1609605. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1609605
Rachael Frost 1 2, Aiman Zamri 2, Silvy Mathew 2, Adriana Salame 3, Cini Bhanu 2, Sukvinder K Bhamra 4, Juan Carlos Bazo-Alvarez 2 5, Michael Heinrich 6 7, Kate Walters 2
Background: Over-the-counter (OTC) products such as herbal medical products (HMPs) or dietary supplements are a valued part of preventative and supportive self-care for depressive symptoms, but there is a wide array of products available, with differing levels of clinical evidence. It is unclear what the optimal directions for future research in this field are.
Aim: We aimed to explore the size and nature of the evidence base available for OTC products for depression in adults aged 18-60.
Methods: We carried out a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, AMED, and CENTRAL from inception to December 2022, and 10% of the results were screened by two authors and the remainder by one author. We included randomised controlled trials of products commonly available OTC in multiple countries in participants with symptoms or a diagnosis of depression. Results were narratively summarised by the product and volume of evidence available.
Results: Out of 23,933 records found, we screened 1,367 full texts and included 209 trials. The largest volume of evidence was for omega-3s, St John's Wort, saffron, probiotics, and vitamin D. Among a range of herbal medical products with promising evidence, those most commonly used and thus warranting further research were lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, and Echium. For 41 products, we found only single trials. Few products presented safety issues, whether used alone or adjunctively with antidepressants.
Conclusion: Products with limited but promising evidence included folic acid, lavender, zinc, tryptophan, Rhodiola, and lemon balm, and future research should focus on these products. There is a need for further evaluation of herbal medical products as adjuncts to antidepressants and for exploring their potential benefits when used adjunctively with psychological therapies to support a more integrative approach. Safety reporting in these trials needs to be further improved.
Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life
Review of those Depression supplements in the study - Perplexity AI July 2025
- Strongest Evidence: Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA-rich formulations, offer the most consistent evidence as adjunct therapy for depression treatment.
- Moderate Evidence: St. John's Wort and saffron show promise for mild-to-moderate depression, though geographic limitations and regulatory considerations apply.
- Emerging Options: Probiotics represent an innovative approach requiring further research to identify optimal strains and protocols.
- Limited Clinical Utility: Vitamin D supplementation appears beneficial primarily in deficient individuals with established depression