Supplements that Work
Vitamins, herbs, antioxidants, and more
Here you’ll find natural options that improved mental health in at least one controlled trial. Some are part of a healthy diet, like omega-3 and probiotics. Others, like lavender, act on the brain much like medications do.
Supplements can be just as powerful, and just as risky, as meds. The difference is more legal than scientific. Natural products are difficult to copyright in the US, which means pharmaceutical companies can’t afford to launch them. Instead, they can modify herbs to make copyrighted medications, like:
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin) comes from the African Khat plant
- Valproate (Depakote) comes from the Valerian flower
Outside the US, supplements are often regulated as medications, like melatonin and lavender oil.
Here’s a difference that matters. Medications have higher standards for manufacturing quality. For better assurance of safety, most of the products below are backed by testing from independent groups like US Pharmacopeia and Consumer Lab.
Recommended Products
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Can Help: Depression, energy, memory in alcoholism and Alzheimer’s.
Top Product: Doctor’s Best. How to use.
B Vitamins
Can Help: Depression, negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
How to Use: I don’t have specific product recommendations for these. You can use a B-complex or purchase individual bottles. Typical doses are: B12 (cobalamin, 500 mcg/day; use Nature Made 1,000 mcg/day for deficiency), B6 (pyridoxine, 25mg/day), and B9 (folate, 2mg/day or for better results use l-methylfoate 15 mg/day – see item in supplement list). Vitamin B1 (thiamine, 300mg/day) may also be beneficial but has fewer studies.
Cannabidiol (CBD)
Can Help: Although CBD is the “healthier” ingredient in cannabis, I do not recommend it unless using it to stop cannabis. Most products are high in price, low in quality, and trigger positive drug screens for marijuana. Oral products are safer than vaping, and synthetic CBD (eg, 4-CCB) is unsafe.
Top Products: Lazarus Naturals Capsules, cbdMD Gummies. The dose is 300 mg/night, which is $70-85/month. How to Use.
l-Carnosine
Can Help: Depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, OCD, cognition, Parkinson’s.
Top Products: NOW capsules Bulk Supplements powder. How to use.
l-Carnitine
Can Help: Autism. This supplement is similar to acetyl-l-carnitine but different from l-carnosine.
Top Product: I am not aware of testing on these products. Daily dose is 150 mg.
Chamomile
Can Help: Anxiety, insomnia.
Top Products: Swanson Flower Extract 500mg, Solaray 325mg. How to Use.
Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus)
Chromium
Can Help: Depression (caution: not all studies were positive), binge eating, diabetes.
Top Products: Source Naturals, Puritan’s Pride. How to use.
Citicoline
Can Help: Memory/mood after cocaine/meth use. Also ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, OCD, dementia, age-related memory loss, Parkinson’s.
Top Product: Cognizin Bestvite. How to use.
CocoaVia
Can Help: Age related memory loss.
Top Product: CocoaVia Brain Health. How to use.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Can Help: Bipolar depression, major depression, ADHD, energy, well-being, memory, ADHD.
Top Product: Doctor’s Best. How to use.
Creatine
Can Help: Depression in women.
Top Products: Bulk Supplements. How to use.
Folinic acid
Can Help: Autism. Folinic acid is FDA approved for autism as leucovorin: 2 mg/kg/day, max 50 mg/day, divided bid.
Many people with autism (30-80%) have antibodies that make it difficult for folate to enter the brain, but folinic acid bypasses that problem and improved multiple symptoms of autism in 4 small trials in children. Folic acid does not bypass this problem, and it is not known if l-methylfolate does.
Top Products: Prescription form is best. I don’t have lab tested recommendations but…
Spectrum Awakening pairs folinic acid (also called calcium folinate) with other vitamins that may help autism (B12 and D) as a powder (each 1/8 teaspoon serving = 8500 mcg or 8.5 mg folinic acid).
Enlyte is a prescription product (also over-the-counter as ENL) that combines 2.5 mg folinic acid (or 3.5 mg in over-the-counter form) with other vitamins that are helpful in autism (omega-3, coenzyme q10) and mood (l-methylfolate).
Gingko (Tebonin)
Can Help: Tardive dyskinesia, age-related cognitive decline, dementia.
Top Product: Life Extension. A more expensive (but well studied) option is EGB-761. How to Use.
Ginseng
Can Help: Energy, cognition, sexual function
Top Products: Solgar Korean Ginseng Root Extract.(Asian Ginseng); Imperial Elixir (American Ginseng). How to use.
Inositol
Can Help: Bipolar depression, fatigue, bulimia, panic, insomnia, psoriasis (skin eruptions). Also called myo-inositol or vitamin B8.
Top Products: Bulk Supplements powder or Life Extension capsules. How to use.
Lavender (Silexan)
Can Help: Anxiety, depression, sleep.
Top Product: CalmAid. How to use.
Lemon Balm
Can Help: Depression, sleep.
Top Product: I don’t have a tested product, but Nature’s Way is usually reliable (dose = 500 – 2,000 mg daily or at night)
Lithium Orotate
Can Help: Prevent dementia and cognitive decline at low doses. But risky at higher doses (causes toxicity more than prescription lithium so do not take more than the low doses available over the counter).
Top Product: Swanson 5 mg daily. Video on how to use it.
Melatonin
Can Help: Tardive dyskinesia, memory.
Top Products: Dr. Wurtman’s and Swanson’s. How to use.
l-Methylfolate
Can Help: Depression, autism.
Top Products: Nutricost, Opti-folate, MethylPro. How to use.
Enlyte is a prescription vitamin (also over-the-counter as ENL) that combines methylfolate with other vitamins that improve mood (eg, omega-3, coenzyme q10, phosphatidylserine, magnesium, zinc, folinic acid).
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
Can Help: Depression, bipolar, addictions, irritability in autism, negative symptoms of schizophrenia, renal health.
Top Products: Life Extension or NOW (NOW is also available at Walmart). How to use.
l-Lysine
Can Help: Schizophrenia (cognition), anxiety.
Top Products: Spring Valley, Swanson. Dose = 6,000 mg/day in schizophrenia, 2-3,000 mg/day in anxiety.
Magnesium
Can Help: Insomnia (with melatonin), bruxism (teeth grinding), Tourette’s (tics), liver health in alcohol use disorder.
Top Products: NOW glycinate or citrate. How to use.
Omega-3 (Fish Oil)
Can Help: Depression, bipolar, borderline personality disorder, irritability, ADHD, autism, metabolic problems (cholesterol, high blood pressure), skin (psoriasis, acne), inflammation.
Top Products: Viva Naturals. How to use.
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)
Can Help: Depression, bipolar mania, long COVID, pain, migraines.
Top Product: Bulk Supplements is a low-cost, lab-tested brand, though I don’t have access to specific lab testing for PEA products. Levagen products are clinically tested bu tmore expensive ($50/month). How to use.
Combo in Dementia: PEA (700 mg twice a day) with luteoline (70 mg twice a day) is being tested in front-temporal dementia, so far results are positive.
Phosphatidylserine
Can Help: ADHD (dose 200-300 mg/day, most studies used it with omega-3 which is on this page)
Top Products: Doctor’s Best, Life Extension, Swanson. For an omega-3 combo: Nordic Naturals.
Prenatal Vitamins & Pregnancy
Pregnancy: Learn what you can do to improve your developing child’s mental health, including prenatal vitamins with choline like One a Day Women’s Advanced Brain Support.
Probiotics
TrueNature Advanced Digestive and Lifted Naturals Mood contain most of the probiotic strains that improve mental health. They also contain prebiotics (the fibers that probiotics need to thrive). How to use. Probiotics work best with lifestyle change. Learn how to bring them into your diet and how to eat to treat depression.
Resveratrol
Can Help: ADHD, heart health, anti-aging properties.
Top Products: Finest Nutrition or TruNature Resveratrol Plus (TruNature is also at Costco). How to use.
Rhodiola Rosea
Can Help: Anxiety, depression, concentration, fatigue, sleep problems, stress.
Top Products: Nature’s Way 250mg, Solaray 500mg. How to use.
Saffron
Can Help: Depression, OCD, ADHD, sleep, menopause, sexual dysfunction.
Top Product: California Gold and Solaray contain a well-researched extract (Affron). Swanson starter or 4-pack is a lab-tested product. How to use.
Sarcosine
SAM-e (S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine)
Can Help: Depression, sexual function, Parkinson’s, arthritis, fibromyalgia, liver function.
Warning: SAMe is a fragile compound. Use an enteric coated product in a blister pack to prevent it from degradation.
Top Product: Nature’s Trove or Synergy. How to use.
St Johns Wort
Can Help: Depression. But most products do not have good integrity, it is dangerous in bipolar disorder, and causes dangerous drug interactions.
Top Products: Mediherb Standard Extract on Amazon and Pure Pharmacy. Dose: 900-1200 mg daily
l-Theanine
Can Help: Anxiety, depression, insomnia.
Top Products: Swanson Suntheanine or LifeExtension XR. How to use.
Valerian
Can Help: Insomnia, anxiety, OCD.
Top Products: GNC Herbal Plus. How to Use.
Zinc
Can Help: Depression, insomnia, anorexia.
Top Products: Solgar 22mg; 30mg. GNC Zinc gluconate 50mg. How to use.
Products with liver risks
Liver doctors consider these supplements to carry the highest risk of liver toxicity: Turmeric, green tea extracts, ashwagandha, kratom, Garcinia cambogia, red yeast rice, and black cohosh. Two of those have mental health benefits and are described below. It is not clear if the reports of liver damage are due to product contamination or the core ingredient itself.
Ashwaghanda (Sensoril, Withania somnifera)
Can Help: Cognition in bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, insomnia, anxiety, stress response.
Top Product: Doctor’s Best (make sure ingredients says “Sensoril”, full dose is 500mg/day). How to use.
Turmeric (Curcumin)
Can Help: Depression, memory, arthritis, long COVID.
Top Product: Doctor’s Best, Kirkland’s Signature. How to use.
Antidotes for Side Effects
Vitamin B6 for tremor, restlessness, prolactin, TD
Vitamin B6 for tremor on lithium or, restlessness, elevated prolactin, or tardive dyskinesia on antipsychotics. Use the active form (P5P) to reduce risk of neuropathy. How to use.
Constipation
Docusate-Sennoside combo 200 count or 1,000 count (generic of Peri-colace)
Nausea
This natural therapy for nausea, is just as effective as medications and works through a similar mechanism (blocking serotonin 5HT3). Also improves age related cognitive decline.
Dry Mouth
Drooling
Search for a waterproof pillow cover or, for a more comfortable option, the DryZzz pillow.
Tardive Dyskinesia
Tardive dyskinesia: Gingko (Tebonin) (full dose 2/day or 240 mg/day)
Medication Tools
Pill Boxes
You’ll need a large or extra-large box for plus-sized vitamins like omega-3. Mix with your meds, and use a two-, three- or four-sided box if taking multiple doses a day.
Tip: Get four boxes so you only have to fill them once a month.
Discount Meds
For brand name medications, check the official website for coupons (the website is the brandname.com, e.g. trintellix.com).
GoodRx. Searches your local pharmacies for the lowest out-of-pocket price. Note that Costco often has the lowest price and you don’t need to be a member to use their pharmacy.
Cost Plus Drugs Mark Cuban’s deep discount pharmacy.
Needs Meds. Discount card and connects you to various savings programs, including patient assistance programs for people who need brand name medications but have a low income.
Save on My Meds. Checks for lowest price if you’re paying out of pocket, also verifies if an online pharmacy is safe.
Refill Wise. Discount card.
Overseas Pharmacies
If you plan on getting your meds through an online or overseas pharmacy, there are ways to do it safer and ways that are riskier. Those risks are big, as many overseas pharmacies ship poorly made products with dangerous ingredients in them. Deception is rampant. Most of the ones that advertise as “Canadian” don’t even sell medications that would pass inspection in Canada.
The safest online sources are those with a “.pharmacy” at the end of their web address. Two groups that can check the safety, and give you a list of safe online sources, are:
Buy Safely. Type in your pharmacies website to check if it’s safe. Or download their list of verified pharmacies.
Tapering Meds
Microdosing. How to break meds into smaller sizes.
Ora-Plus: Liquifies your pills so you can slowly lower the dose
Ora-Plus Sweetener and Sugar-free Sweetener allows you to flavor the liquid
Stopping Anxiety Medication, and evidence-based guide to coming off benzodiazepines by Dr. Otto
Psych Med Info
–Chris Aiken, MD, Updated 7/1/2025
Caution. All treatments have risks, including these. Some interact with other drugs. Talk with your doctor to make sure they are right for you.
Best Evidence:
- Omega-3 for mood and psychiatric disorders
- Lavender (Silexan) for anxiety
- SAMe and l-methylfolate for depression
- Probiotics for depression and anxiety
- Melatonin for sleep
- Gingko (Tebonin) for tardive dyskinesia
Unique Benefits:
- NAC may protect the kidneys on lithium (and prevent depression)
- Citicoline may improve memory and mood after cocaine/meth misuse
- PEA may reduce depression and bipolar mania
- Probiotics and omega-3 may reduce weight gain and metabolic problems on antipsychotics
Other Natural Options:
- Lightbox for depression
- Dawn simulator for depression and energy
- Blue blockers for bipolar and sleep
- Diet for depression
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