Can Ayurveda Treat Depression?

Why Ayurveda helps treat Depression

Ayurveda helps treat depression by bringing balance to the kapha dosha in the body which helps restore mental and emotional status.

According to Ayurveda, a person is just like the universe, made of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

These elements combine in the body to create three energies or doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.

- Vata dosha consists of the elements of space and air. It is the energy of movement.

- Pitta dosha consists of the elements of fire and water. It is the energy of digestion and metabolism.

- Kapha dosha consists of the elements of water and earth. It is the energy of lubrication and structure.

The doshas regulate every single process in the body. They control and maintain the body’s tissues (dhatu), waste products (mala), and digestion (agni).

How Ayurveda works to treat Depression

Ayurveda works on balancing kapha dosha by following a proper diet and removing toxins from the body.

This is done by eating specific foods and using different herbs, supplements, purges, enemas, and bloodletting.

It works also by following a stress-relieving lifestyle practices that involves meditation and body massage.

Ayurveda for Depression: Treatment Protocol

Ayurvedic treatment for depression is specifically tailored to each individual’s case and looks at the dominant dosha in their constitution.

However, Ayurvedic treatment for depression generally involves the following aspects:

A- Purvakarma treatments:

Purvakarma is Sanskrit for “foremost action.” It comprises herbal and oil treatments that loosen the  accumulated toxins in the mind and the body. Ayurvedic medicine believes these toxins cause depression.

Accordingly, purvakarma practices direct the toxins to specific waste and elimination centers in the body. They help prepare people for Panchakarma (detoxification therapies).

Purvakarma consists of three treatments:

1. Pachana (digestion therapy)

2. Snehana (oleation therapy)

3. Swedana (sudation therapy)

The purvakarma treatments that help depression are:

1- Pachana (digestion therapy): Patients take herbal formulations that help stabilize the mood and restore balance to the vata dosha.

2- Snehana (oleation therapy): is a practice where oils, ghee (purified butter), or oils mixed with herbs are applied to the body internally or externally to loosen toxins in the body. It also helps lead the toxins to a particular center in the body where they can later be expelled via panchakarma therapies.

a. Shirodhara therapy (external oleation): Patients have a liquid (oil, milk, or water) poured onto their forehead. It is also accompanied by a head, body, or scalp massage. This practice soothes the mind and body and decreases stress.

b. Abhyanga (massage therapy): is a practice where oils, ghee, or oils infused with herbs are massaged vigorously into the body to loosen the toxins in the body. Abhyanga also helps nourish the tissues, restore balance to imbalanced doshas, and relieves stress. It is also part of dinacharya (daily routine).

B- Panchakarma treatments:

Panchakarma, which is Sanskrit for “five treatments,” is a five-step detox program in Ayurveda. These treatments help detoxify the body and restore balance to the vata, pitta, and kapha doshas. The five treatments are:

1. Vamana (medicated emesis)

2. Virechana (medicated purgation)

3. Vasti (medicated enema)

4. Nasya (nasal medication)

5. Raktamokshan (bloodletting)

An Ayurvedic practitioner would manage depression using the following Panchakarma treatments:

1- Vamana (medicated emesis): a practice where patients undergo forced vomiting to eliminate toxins and remove the body’s excess kapha dosha. This practice is used when a person has kapha-type depression.

2- Virechana (medicated purgation): a practice where patients are given herbal treatments to induce diarrhea. This helps clear out toxins in the gut and restore balance to the pitta dosha. It can be used to treat pitta-type depression.

3- Nasya (nasal medication): a practice where oils are administered through the nose. It helps restore balance to the vata, pitta, and kapha doshas. It soothes the mind and helps prana (life force energy) flow through our body properly, keeping the body balanced and healthy. It is used to treat vata-type depression.

C- Rasayana (Rejuvenation treatments):

In Ayurveda, rasayana, which is Sanskrit for “path of essence,” consists of practices that help rejuvenate and nourish the mind and body. Rasayana practices include consuming herbal treatments or decoctions and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. They also incorporate exercise, yoga, and a regular self-care routine (dinacharya) to maintain balance in all aspects of life.

The rasayana practices that help treat depression are explained in more detail below:

1- Dietary Modifications:

The Ayurvedic diet aims to balance all three life energies or doshas in the mind and body. Patients should maintain a diet that restores balance to the kapha dosha (energy of structure and lubrication) or other dominant doshas to treat or prevent depression. 

An Ayurvedic diet also prescribes eating specific foods as part of Purvakarma (preparatory treatments) before Panchakarma (detoxification therapies) to help loosen the accumulated toxins in the mind and the body that cause depression.

Patients should maintain the Ayurvedic diet even after they complete Purvakarma and Panchakarma therapies.

2- Herbal Treatments:

Ayurveda prescribes herbs or herbal treatments that treat depression because they have anti-stress and anti-depressant properties and help regulate mood.

Some of these herbs include:

- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): it helps balance the vata dosha in the mind. The vata dosha is the energy responsible for the movement of thoughts and feelings in the mind. It helps stabilize the mood and helps the body adapt to stress.

- Jatamansi (Spikenard): it has anti-stress properties and helps the body eliminate toxins. It also helps get rid of prana (energy) blockages in the mind.

- Tulsi (Holy Basil): it has anti-anxiety and anti-depressant properties. It helps vata type depression.

- Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri): it reduces the body’s cortisol levels and helps the nervous system calm down, which improves mood.

3- Dinacharya (Routine):

Dinacharya or establishing a routine is one aspect of rasayana that helps treat depression and restores balance to both the body and the mind.

Dinacharya includes:

1- Adjusting dietary habits: Patients should eat foods at regular times. They should also eat healthy foods that help restore balance to the imbalanced kapha dosha.

2- Regulating sleeping habits: Patients need to adjust their sleeping habits and begin sleeping at regular times every night. Getting a good night's sleep helps stabilize mood. 

3- Exercising regularly: Patients should engage in physical activity every day to stabilize all the doshas and boost their mood.

4- Massaging yourself: Patients should massage themselves with oil every day to help vata (the energy of movement) move throughout the body.

5- Fasting: Patients should fast for 3-4 days. Fasting helps people who have a kapha depression eliminate toxins from their body.

6- Pranayama: Patients should practice yogic breathing exercises (pranayama) to increase mindfulness, strengthen the prana (life force) in the body, and restore balance to the kapha dosha.

Ayurveda for Depression: recommendations

Eat meals regularly: Eating regular meals helps improve mood and boosts energy levels throughout the day.

Exercise regularly: Engage in physical activity every day to restore balance to all the doshas. Exercise helps improve mood and relieves stress, one trigger for depression.

Sleep well: Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get at least 7 hours of sleep. Getting enough sleep helps regulate mood.

Practice yoga: Practice at least 10 minutes of yoga, including breathing techniques (pranayama), every day. Try to go through the postures slowly and focus on sitting still to cultivate inner peace.

Practice activities that increase mindfulness: Practice meditation for at least 20 minutes every day. Meditation helps relieve stress and feelings of sadness.

Give yourself an oil massage: Give yourself a massage using a warm oil every day to cultivate feelings of self-love. Massages also help soothe the nervous system. Use a warm oil like sesame oil to help excess vata (the energy of movement) move throughout the body.

Foods to eat:

According to Ayurveda, all foods possess certain gunas (qualities). The gunas in the foods are transferred into energies that influence the balance of the doshas in the body.

People with depression consume foods that possess  heavy, warm, and sweet gunas (qualities) that increase the kapha (structure and lubrication) and pitta (digestion and metabolism) doshas (energies) to balance out the vata (movement) dosha (energy).

These foods include:

• Fruits: apples, bitter melon, grapes, mangoes, and gooseberries

• Vegetables: Arugula, kale, and celery

• Dairy products: ghee

• Legumes: chickpeas, black beans, and red beans

• Non-diary alternatives: almond milk and hemp milk

• Grains: barley, oats, millet, and amaranth

• Seeds: pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds

Herbs to use:

The following herbs are beneficial for depression because protect against stress, help reduce feelings of anxiety, eliminate toxins in the body, and help balance all the doshas.

- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): it helps balance the vata dosha in the mind. The vata dosha is the energy responsible for the movement of thoughts and feelings in the mind. It helps stabilize the mood and helps the body adapt to stress.

- Jatamansi (Spikenard): it has anti-stress properties and helps the body eliminate toxins. It also helps get rid of prana (energy) blockages in the mind.

- Tulsi (Holy Basil): it has anti-anxiety and anti-depressant properties. It helps vata type depression.

- Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri): it reduces the body’s cortisol levels and helps calm the nervous system, which improves mood.

Ayurveda for Depression: things to avoid for

- Avoid skipping meals: Skipping meals makes it harder to establish a routine. Skipping meals also affects digestion and causes toxins to build up in the body, leading to depression.

- Avoid drinking coffee and tea: these drinks aggravate all three doshas and cause them to be imbalanced. Tea and coffee also overstimulate the nervous system and cause excess kapha dosha to accumulate in the mind. 

- Avoid or limit alcohol consumption: alcohol is a depressant. Drinking alcohol can decrease sattva or "purity of mind," which increases depression. Alcohol also causes toxins to form in the body.

- Avoid soft drinks: these drinks contain a lot of sugar and aggravate the pitta dosha, which causes toxins to accumulate in the body.

- Stop smoking: smoking aggravates the doshas and causes the accumulation of toxins in the body, which may lead to depression

- Avoid overeating: overeating increases the kapha dosha in the body. It increases feelings of sluggishness, which increases feelings of sadness and depression.

Foods to avoid:

According to Ayurveda, all foods possess certain gunas (qualities). The gunas in the foods are transferred into energies that influence the balance of the doshas in the body.

People with depression should avoid foods that cause an imbalance in the vata, pitta, kapha doshas to improve their mood.

These foods include:

- Cold foods and smoothies

- Processed foods

- Sugar and sugary foods

- Hot, spicy foods

- Dry foods

Ayurveda for Depression: precautions

Ayurveda uses natural and herbal remedies to treat diseases. However, if you want to use Ayurvedic medicines, herbs, supplements to treat a particular condition, you should consider the following precautions:

- Consult your Ayurvedic practitioner before taking Ayurvedic products on your own. Let them know if you have diabetes or are taking medication that may affect your treatment plan. They should adjust it to avoid any harmful interactions with the medication you are taking.

- Some Ayurvedic products and practices are banned in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve or review Ayurvedic products. Some herbal compounds or preparations may contain lead, mercury, or arsenic in toxic amounts.

They can cause serious illnesses in children and may be life-threatening for pregnant or lactating women and their babies. Other compounds from untrustworthy manufacturers may contain steroids, which may cause further health issues.

- Panchakarma treatments aren’t suitable for all patients. Eligibility for panchakarma is determined by an Ayurvedic practitioner.

People who are classified as having “weak” or lean and thin bodies aren’t eligible for panchakarma treatments. People who are anemic and pregnant women also aren’t allowed to undergo panchakarma treatments.

WARNING:

- Make sure to disclose to your primary care physician that you are seeing an Ayurvedic practitioner and are taking Ayurvedic formulations. This ensures you stay safe and avoid medication interactions that might cause serious side effects.

- If you are taking medication for diabetes, don’t stop taking them if you begin Ayurvedic treatment unless your doctor approves it.

- Some Ayurvedic practitioners may not be qualified to treat you. Make sure that your Ayurvedic practitioner is well-trained, certified, and has the relevant experience to meet your needs.

- Be careful when buying Ayurvedic herbs or formulas. Don’t buy Ayurvedic products unless they have a GMP (Good Manufacturing Product) stamp on them if you are buying them from India. Be extra careful when purchasing herbs online because online stores may be selling counterfeit products.

Ayurveda for Depression: side effects

Since Ayurvedic treatments are derived from natural herbs and plants, most treatments do not cause adverse events. However, if you take some Ayurvedic preparations or herbs, you may experience the following side effects.

- Some Ayurvedic products contain toxic amounts of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, or mercury, and they might cause heavy metal poisoning.

- Some Ayurvedic herbal formulations might cause headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, rashes, or allergic reactions.