How I Cured my OCD Naturally (With Herbal Remedies)

This is going to be a little lengthy, but I'll make it understandable and formidable. 

Fact is, I've suffered from OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder) for many years, since age 11 when the symptoms became really profound. 

The symptoms consisted of 

• Repeated lock turning and checking of locks.
• Device Power on/Off checking.
• Walking over dividers/cracks in sidewalks.
• Doing multiple things in intervals of 7.
• Turning my head in 3's when I was alone.
• " Intrusive Thoughts" (irrational,but often subjugated fears and scenarios)

A fragment of my willpower was able to keep these things fairly in check when around people or in a public place , this ability became more necessary to internalize and adapt to as I aged between 16-17.

In my adult life - I still suffered from continuous intrusive thoughts, that seemed to get worse - especially in times of ANTICIPATION or STRESS.

However, publicly I was able to tone them down or mostly eliminate them. 

However, at times I didn't want to leave or go anywhere because the thoughts would be repetitive and severely disturbing. 

Yet I found going out to alleviate these thoughts by shifting my attention to something more worthwhile; hence I was often "living inside my head".

The biggest strain was in small rooms, closed in especially, intrusive thoughts would be hastened.

Additionally - I often had other more reclusive thoughts, but especially more irritating - mainly centered around things or events that I would be therefore SIMULATING a fear of.

I ended up taking part in writing online, as I do here - to give a sense of responsibility and to shift my thoughts away for a while, well....really to channel them into something minimally stressful. Yet, with WiFi even, certain signal interruptions and slow load times would be enough to trigger yet another "SIMULATED STRESS RESPONSE" - which would include rapidly merging intrusive thoughts and then a not-so-fun adrenaline response which would leave me in a state of almost CONSTANT IRRITATION and being intensely unsettled.

I tried over 50 different herbs and supplements over the course of years.

• Kanna ( a reported natural serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
• Kava Kava (an herb with psychoactive properties)
• Magnesium Citrate ( a mineral with calming properties )
• D-Aspartic Acid (NMDA-glutamate agonists are reported to help compulsions)
• N-Acetyl-Cysteine (antioxidant with anti-glutamate properties)
• Ashwagandha (tonic with relaxing effects)
• Methyl B12 (methyl groups supposedly can help excessive stimulation)
• Switching caffeine with yerba mate.
• American Ginseng (calming "cold" ginseng) (Panax quinquefolius)
• Inositol (supposedly enhances serotonin)

All of these were either only mildly tuning down the intrusive thoughts, or mildly decreasing compulsions, but not necessarily obsessions. 

NAC; N-Acetyl-Cysteine - definitely halted most of the thoughts, but I found it too sedating and it made it hard to concentrate.

Magnesium I still use today, and it helps some aspects - and definitely tunes it down but not super significantly.

The rest were mildly helpful, at best.

I also tried several diets.

• ANTI-HISTAMINE DIET (more fruits, less protein and more fiber and sulfur containing foods DAILY; such as beets, onions, garlic etc) (Helped a good amount, but I was hesitant to believe that it had all to do with lowering histamine, as studies are mixed regarding it.
• PRO-HISTAMINE DIET; My lack of ever catching a cold or flu, and/or not producing symptoms of such made me think I may actually have low histamine...even though I matched only some of the qualitative traits of high histamine described in this article.

***Much to my surprise (or maybe not), the high histamine diet actually seemed to relieve some symptoms with less of a crash - so I guess science hasn't really wrapped their head around the true cause of OCD quite yet; although, generalizations tend to be foolish anyhow!**

All was only mildly helpful, and in this time span of years and searching for new treatments - I became addicted to multiple stimulants (as they reduced symptoms for a small period of time, gave some relief)....eventually though, I began again - relentlessly searching for other supplements. 

I ventured away from embracing the serotonergic hypothesis of deficient serotonin levels - thinking in absolutes for a while. 

I ended doing a hella lot more research, and found, that serotonin is NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING FOR OCD - IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT RECEPTOR SEROTONIN BINDS TO - SOME ACTUALLY MAKE IT WORSE!!!

Interestingly, me stumbling upon a cure (or at least what would be MY CURE) actually was completely unintentional. 

I was looking for cognitive enhancing supplements with serotonin BLOCKING properties; and decided to test the waters with a supplement called MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS. An herb with nootropic and anxiolytic; anxiety relieving properties. AGAIN, I didn't think it would have much a positive effect on OCD due to it's serotonin antagonist properties (even despite what I learned) , plus it had been shown to actually deplete serotonin levels in some studies - thus inhibiting any POTENTIALLY positive effect any remaining serotonin would have.

The herb also had GABA-ergic properties, and acetylcholine boosting properties.

It acts specifically as a NATURAL POSITIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATOR OF GABA-A receptors (which is the mechanism of klonopine/benzodiazepine drugs).

Anyway, the first night I took this - I felt a calm I haven't felt in years, then as each day I continued it - I noticed my intrusive thoughts had become substantially less repetitive. 

At the end of the second week - I no longer felt need for most of my compulsions - and I could just as easily dismiss any remaining partitions of them.

By WEEK THREE - Almost all of my intrusive thoughts were either non-existent or manageable or easily ignorable like a raindrop dropping on my shoulder. 

It amazed me that a remedy with SEROTONIN BLOCKING properties would be able to manage symptoms to such an extent. 

NOW I'M NOT SAYING THAT WAS THE REASON WHY, IN FACT....It most likely had more to do with the GABA-A enhancement. 

But there are tons of chemicals in any given plant or herb - so it's hard to tell really what exactly did it - but something in MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS CERTAINLY DID!!!

Now it's been a year and I still take it today - and the effects DO linger - and without adverse effects as with drugs or with other supplements that would crash me or easily reduce my productivity / creativity.

Finally, I noticed something interesting ---- ADDING GOTU KOLA to the regimen seemed to balance out the effect provide an additional sense of mental clarity without being too stimulating.

BOTH OF THESE ARE ADRENAL STABILIZING AND / OR ANTI-STRESS HERBS.

Both are also considered NOOTROPICS (cognitive enhancers or "BRAIN-BOOSTERS".

So it's a win-win situation, you get COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT with OCD-TREATMENT - AND EFFECTIVELY DOING BOTH AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE.

The particular brands / supplements I used to cure my OCD NATURALLY are below.

They were both very cheap as you can see below - which is relieving in itself. 

The Magnolia Product I bought is "Genesis Today" Magnolia Bark Capsules which I still take today as of (6/10/2016) & as well with Swanson Gotu Kola Extract which I also still take.

On study days, I do only one magnolia capsule per day, and two gotu kola. :-)