There are many people with depression who take antidepressants, and many of these people don’t realize that there are many natural alternatives. The prescription drugs that many doctors give on a daily basis can be more harmful to their patients than the disease itself. There are side effects, both short term and long term, and some of these drugs are highly addictive.

One of the more recent discoveries that has been made is the Acai berry. It comes from the Amazon jungles of Brazil, in the Acai palm. Actually, this berry is smaller than a grape and most of it is just seed. In fact, only 10% of the berry is actual fruit. However, this small amount of fruit is packed with all sorts of nutrients our bodies need, and while it doesn’t actually cure depression itself, you can use it to treat many of the symptoms without antidepressants.

For one, the Acai berry is full of antioxidants that our bodies need. It is excellent for treating a number of symptoms related to depression. Some antidepressants are designed to raise serotonin levels in the brain, and sometimes these reduced levels are the result of inflammation in the brain. Acai berry reduces inflammation, both in the brain and elsewhere, and can bring these levels back to normal. It can also improve cell communication in the brain and help improve your metabolism.

Antidepressants have other effects on your body besides treating depression. One of them is its sedative qualities that can make you fall asleep. This is because people with this disease may have trouble sleeping. Another part of the problem that accompanies depression is weight control. They either don’t eat enough, or they eat too much, leading to weight gain, which makes them self-conscious and adds to their depression. It can be a vicious cycle.

Depression also affects your energy levels and the use of antidepressants doesn’t really help in this area. In fact, some medications can make you more lethargic and not want to do anything at all. To combat the effects of depression, you need to get out and do things, like exercise, and keep doing activities you normally would. Acai berries help boost your metabolism, give you energy and get you going without harmful stimulants.

Some of the symptoms and causes of depression are due to the buildup of free radicals in our system. While we all have them in our bodies, too much can be harmful. If you don’t know what a free radical is, here is a brief explanation. Free radicals are organic molecules that are unstable, either from natural cellular processes or from external sources, such as eating an unhealthy diet, being around pollution, etc. These molecules are unstable because they don’t have enough electrons, so they try to steal them from other cells in the body, which in turn causes healthy cells to turn into radicals and so on, causing a virtual domino effect. While some aren’t that bad, the problem is that when there are too many of them they can speed up the aging process, cause a depleting effect, accelerate tissue damage, and even cause some diseases. Antidepressants not only do nothing for this, but can actually create more free radicals in the body, further contributing to these problems.

Because these berries are full of antioxidants, which scavenge these free radicals, taking them can have a good overall effect in treating depression, without the ill effects of antidepressant medications. It also has the highest oxygen radical absorbance capacity, or ORAC, of ​​any fruit or vegetable. ORAC is the oxygen free radical absorbance capacity of the body, and while some fruits and vegetables have high levels, around 2,400 for blueberries, the USDA recommends eating 3,000 to 5,000 units daily. Acai berries get more than this, with 5500 ORAC.

So where can you get Acai berries to help treat your depression naturally and without antidepressants? You can’t go to your local market and buy them fresh. They are an extremely delicate fruit and only last about twenty-four hours before going bad. You can buy drinks and powders, as well as different types of tablets. However, you need to be very careful, because some people will try to rip you off with inferior quality.