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Goji, a natural anti-depressant
A well-dosed supplement with an extract of the Chinese goji berry can speed up recovery from mild depression. Doctors from the teaching hospital of Guangzhou Medical University experimented with two dozen depressed teenagers.
Study
Chinese psychiatrists at Guangzhou Huiai Hospital divided 29 teenagers with mild depressive symptoms into two groups. For 6 weeks, the teens in one group took a placebo every day, while the teens in the other group took 300 milligrams of goji extract daily.
The extract mainly contained polysaccharides, and was produced by Tianren Ningxia Wolfberry Biotechnology.
Results
The researchers determined the intensity of the teenagers' depression on the basis of the Hamilton Depression Scale [HAMD-24]. During the experiment, the scores of both groups dropped, but the downward trend accelerated in the group that used goji extract [LBP].
The extract mainly reduced feelings of hopelessness in the subjects. In addition, the extract helped maintain cognition, which often declines during depressive periods.
Mechanism
During a depression, inflammatory processes in the brain increase in intensity. The Chinese suspect that components of goji inhibit inflammation.
Conclusion
"The safety and tolerability of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide across the 6-week treatment were comparable to those of the placebo", the psychiatrists write. "The participants reported no severe adverse events related to the interventions."
"As our results showed, the remission rate was almost five times higher in the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group than in the placebo group, supporting the treatment efficacy of the 6-week Lycium barbarum polysaccharide intervention."
Source:
Neural Regen Res. 2022 Jul;17(7):1582-7.
More:
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Healthy diet protects against depression 05.03.2019
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Depression
Goji
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