Mood & Stress

Mood & Stress Evidence Ranking

Within this category, verdicts with higher evidence scores appear first. Verdicts without a score stay lower in the same list.

• A 82 St. John's wort (St. John's Wort, Hypericum perforatum) x depression
  Short-term monotherapy evidence for mild-to-moderate depression is sufficient in RCTs and meta-analyses to view as A, but expansion to severe depre... · View verdict →
• B 76 Saffron (Crocus sativus) x depression and mood
  In clinical depression groups, short-term RCTs and meta-analyses are repeatedly positive, but small size, regional concentration, publication bias,... · View verdict →
• B 62 Kava (Piper methysticum) x Relief of anxiety symptoms
  A significant small effect across double-blind RCTs coexists with later large negative trials, supporting the bottom of B with 62 points. · View verdict →
• B 61 Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) x stress and anxiety relief
  Human evidence exists but has limitations · View verdict →
• C 58 Lavender oil (Silexan) x Anxiety
  The symptom-scale RCT signal for oral Silexan is strong, but the grade is C because of the rule for absence of independent replication. · View verdict →
• C 57 Chamomile (chamomile, Matricaria recutita/chamomilla) x Anxiety and sleep
  Anxiety remains at the level of a direct symptom-scale RCT signal, and sleep remains at the level of a small subjective-scale signal. · View verdict →
• C 54 Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) x Stress, anxiety, and sleep
  There are anxiety and stress questionnaire signals, but the number of studies, sample sizes, and formulation heterogeneity are substantial, so the... · View verdict →
• C 52 Holy basil (tulsi, Ocimum tenuiflorum) x Relief of stress and anxiety
  Two placebo-controlled trials were positive, but the key evidence is concentrated within one manufacturer group, resulting in C with 52 points. · View verdict →
• C 50 Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaf extract x Relief of tension caused by stress
  Two small RCTs provide signals on selected anxiety scales, but selective findings and limited replication result in C with 50 points. · View verdict →
• C 49 SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) x Relief of depressive symptoms and antidepressant augmentation
  Monotherapy meta-analyses conflict and the latest augmentation estimate is negative, supporting C with 49 points. · View verdict →
• C 48 Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) x Anxiety and sleep
  There are direct human RCTs, but most are small, and the sleep evidence in particular is short or centered on single studies. · View verdict →
• C 48 Wild green oat extract (Neuravena) x Improvement of stress, mood, and focus
  There are signals for acute focus tasks and stress in a special setting, but the chronic cognition trial was negative and proprietary-industry conc... · View verdict →
• C 44 L-lysine x Relief of stress and anxiety
  The closest single-ingredient evidence is a fortified-food trial in a low-intake population, while the 108- and 29-person trials used lysine plus a... · View verdict →
• C 43 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) x Mood, appetite, and sleep
  The serotonin-precursor mechanism is plausible, but the clinical evidence is small and old, so the grade is C. · View verdict →
• C 40 American skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) x Relief of anxiety and tension
  A small early positive signal coexists with a later null result on the main anxiety scale, resulting in C with 40 points. · View verdict →
• C 40 DL-phenylalanine (DLPA) x Improvement of depressive symptoms and mood
  A positive open study and no difference in an active-comparator trial are limited by no placebo, 33% attrition, and no replication, resulting in C... · View verdict →
• D 35 Kanna extract (Sceletium tortuosum) x Relief of stress and anxiety
  Pooled randomized anxiety results were null, while positive evidence is confined to tiny surrogate studies, resulting in D with 35 points. · View verdict →
• ? score not listed Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) x Improvement of dopamine and mood
  Trials exist for Parkinson motor response to an L-DOPA source, but there is no human literature directly evaluating dopamine or mood in the general... · View verdict →
• ? score not listed Lithium orotate x Mood stabilization and anxiety relief
  Brain exposure is possible, but there are no controlled efficacy data for mood stabilization or anxiety relief, resulting in a question-mark grade. · View verdict →