Last week, I was in the garden and active. Around lunch time, I put spring onions. And sat there then, to view the sky. The was of a pale grey, what is this time of year more normal. I was seriously thinking about my serotonin levels.

Jörg Albrecht

Responsible for the departments “science” of the Frankfurt General Sunday newspaper.

F. A. Z.

Serotonin, chemically 5-hydroxytryptamine, is generally regarded as the hormone of happiness, Serenity, inner peace and satisfaction. In larger concentrations, it is included, for example, in walnuts, a little less plugged in bananas and chocolate. So cramming will not help but because of the fabric it creates, because of the blood-brain barrier is not at the place where he is able to unfold its effect might be. The body, unfortunately, is so stupid that he produced instead, in the case of lack of light propagated Melatonin. This does not make one happy, but tired. And the other sad.

winter depression, nearly a Million German suffering, allegedly. If the number of the inevitable whiners, they just need an excuse to work, still a lot left. Which is recommended as often as possible the Free visit, because even the dimmest of the light of day is ten times brighter than the usual Office add a free call. Lighting technicians are familiar with a standard value, it is 5000 Lux, everything is dusk. Who wants to make a presentation: 5000 Lux correspond approximately to the External illuminance in the amount of the city of Kassel in the case of uniformly overcast sky to a 10. Of December at 10 o’clock in the morning. Off to Kassel, you might all depressed rates.

St. John’s wort is found in Sweden, in the secret national anthem

But much rather race you to the pharmacy and buy St. John’s wort pills. The stronger, there is now only on prescription, they contain up to a thousand milligrams of dry extract of Hypericum perforatum. This herb grows common in the bushes hemming, forest edges and slopes and is quite undemanding to train gravel. It blooms in the Midsummer time and since ages in the call to consolidate the power of the sun. The main ingredients of the reddish dye, Hypericin and Hyperforin, which is actually attributed to an antidepressant effect.

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Similar to synthetic antidepressants, Hyperforin inhibits acid the reuptake of the neurotransmitters Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and Gamma-aminobutyric and thereby increases the concentration of these substances in the Tissue fluid of the brain. Prior to the all-too-keen Priming will, however, be warned: St. John’s wort extracts to increase the sensitivity of the skin to UV radiation and degrade the effectiveness of other medications such as the contraceptive pill, blood pressure or antibiotics.

In Sweden, where the winter Blues is due to the geographical location high in the North, widespread, has found that St. John’s wort even recording in the secret national anthem “Öppna Landskap”. That is the old rocker Ulf Lundell sings of the open landscapes of his home, where he is turning to summer sun, his private antidepressant for the upcoming winter night bride (“Där bränner jag mitt brännvin själv och kryddar med johannisört”). To imitate which was not explicitly recommended.