Acetaminophen Seems to Ease Some Existential Fears

[Burnt Hill]

Having watched the Rabbits series myself, I nearly experienced an existential crisis of my own. Pass the Tylenol, please.

[brainpanhandler]

Erowid's got the usual good info on it:

http://www.erowid.org/plants/kanna/

There's a link on the erowid page to this site:

History
The plant has been used by hunter gatherers who inhabited what is now South Africa for well over 1,000 years. Its primary use was by warriors returning from battle, who took it to help dispel the fear and depression that was common after violent conflict.


http://www.sutherlandia.com/sceletium_frame.htm

I remember reading that page when I was researching Sceletium and I found the quote above fascinating. I was never able to find the source though.

[justdrew]

Having watched the Rabbits series myself, I nearly experienced an existential crisis of my own. Pass the Tylenol, please.

it's pretty intense isn't it

dumbland is good too...

[Perelandra]

Its advantages over other ssri's is that it does not take a month to work and it does not have global effects on my emotions. Strangely enough it seems to act exclusively on my anxiety and sadness. It works for me within a couple of hours! when taken orally and continues to work for awhile. It seems to have residual effects even after I stop taking it. Smoking it has an immediate effect.

And I can confirm this from the wikipedia article:

Some reports suggest a synergy with cannabis.[3]

They don't potentiate each other. Rather they compliment each other.

And as a bonus, if you're trying to lose some weight, it really does seem to have an appetite suppressant effect.

Thanks for the info. I see that there's some debate about the possible SSRI-like qualities. I noticed that a couple erowid accounts report increased anxiety and/or stimulant effects, which I wouldn't want, but further reading does make it sound worth trying.

Tangent related to natural treatments for anxiety and depression:

Are Probiotics the New Prozac?
By Lisa Collier Cool
Jul 12, 2013
A new “proof of concept” study using functional MRI offers the first evidence that bacteria consumed in food can affect human brain function, UCLA researchers report. The study found that women who eat probiotic yogurt regularly had altered activity in brain regions that regulate emotions and internal body sensations.

For example, during an emotional reactivity test involving viewing pictures of angry or frightened faces, the women who had consumed probiotics twice a day for a month showed decreased activity in these regions. This is an indication of reduced anxiety, according to neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen, MD, a brain imaging specialist who was not involved in the research.

Conversely, women who didn’t consume probiotics had stable or increased activity in these regions during the emotional reactivity test. The study, which included 36 women, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.

Can Probiotics Make People Happier?
"Our findings indicate that some of the contents of yogurt may actually change the way our brain responds to the environment,” Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, associate professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

“When we consider the implications of this work, the old sayings 'you are what you eat' and 'gut feelings' take on new meaning,” added Dr. Tillsch.

Superfoods With Healing Powers

A psychology researcher at University of Canterbury in New Zealand is so enthusiastic about the potential of probiotics to improve mood that she has launched a new study in which 80 patients with depression will receive probiotic supplements for four months.

“I hope my study will find that treatment with probiotics changes levels of certain substances in the blood and brain, essentially making people happier,” researcher Amy Romijn told 3 News.

An estimated one in 10 adults suffers from depression, according to the CDC.

“We urgently need a new approach to depression, because current therapies don’t have a very good success rate,” says Dr. Amen, who is also the author of Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex. “When you combined published and unpublished studies of antidepressants, the treatments we have today are no better than they were 50 years ago.”
Link

[KUAN]

St Johns wort works - and has a 'natural' feel. Here's the catch. The concentration contained in over the counter potions is not enough to have any effect without spending a fortune. I called myself a therapist and found myself a source of locally made liquid concentrate. I found it to be a pain in the butt because ( for me ) it didn't seem to linger in the system so I had to take it 3 or 4 times a day just like a food. It was very messy carrying my little bottle of concentrated dark brown tincture everywhere I went.