Natural Stress Relief with Sceletium Tortuosum

Sceletium Tortuosum has been used by hunter-gatherers and shepherds as a mood-enhancing substance for hundreds of years and is far more effective and rapidly acting than the well-known St John's Wort. It lessens anxiety, stress and tension, raises spirits and enhances the sense of connection. If you take a very large dose you may even feel euphoric, then taken over by a sense of drowsiness. It does not cause hallucinations.Your mood and mental performance depend on a variety of nutrients that feed the brain, nervous system and neurotransmitters. These include vitamins B3, B6, folic acid (folate), B12 and C, zinc, magnesium, essential fatty acids, and the amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine. Research has found that a lot of people with psychiatric disorders, including depression, were deficient in the B vitamin folate. Some government dietary surveys also show that a large portion of the population don't even receive the bare minimum recommended amount of these vitamins and minerals, in their daily diet. That is why depression is on the increase. A link between depression, insomnia, anxiety, suicide, migraines, PMS, obsessive/compulsive behaviour, stress, obesity, and addiction is a low level of serotonin.What is Serotonin and How does it work?Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter, a chemical in the nervous system that helps transmit messages along the nervous system. Serotonin is considered the 'mood neurotransmitter', which keeps us emotionally, and socially stable. Our body naturally produces serotonin from the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is found in protein-containing foods. Researchers have found that when they take recovered depressed patients and deprive them of tryptophan, their depression returns. In general, giving tryptophan to depressed people has been beneficial. Some types of depression are called Serotonin Depression because people affected by imbalances in serotonin levels. Serotonin depression symptoms can affect depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, anxiety and eating disorders. Women seem to have more problems than men in maintaining their serotonin levels. Women who are low in serotonin are likelier to express their anger inwardly, with depression and even suicidal behaviour. Men who are low in serotonin are often violent and can even engage in dangerous criminal acts. Alcohol and drug abusers also turn out to be low in serotonin. The good news is that you can successfully correct these imbalances with supplements that raise serotonin.Supplementing an amino acid called 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-htp), which is one step closer than trytophan to serotonin, has been shown to produce even better mood-enhancing results.How does Sceletium Work?The mood-elevating action of Sceletium is caused by a number of alkaloids including mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine which interact with the brain's dopamine and serotonin receptors. Sceletium also contains many nutrients, including minerals and amino acids. According to laboratory studies sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health near Washington DC, its major alkaloid, mesembrine, promotes serotonin levels. It also appears to have a harmonising and balancing effect on the other feel-good neurotransmitters, dopamine and noradrenalin, as well as on adrenalin. An effective dose is 50mg a day, although some doctors report needing to use 100 to 200mg a day for those with chronic depression or anxiety.

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