Supplements for mood

11 compounds relevant to mood, ranked by overall evidence grade.

Overall grade: Grade B
Last revised: Jul 10, 2026; 11
graded outcomes: 0
references listed

Assembled by the app from other entries in this library. It adds no evidence of its own — follow the links to the entries it draws on.

5 at grade B · 5 at grade C · 1 at grade D — 11 graded rows

What is known

Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.

Outcome	Grade	Effect size	Agreement
Curcumin (Turmeric)A genuine anti-inflammatory for joints and mood — if you solve its terrible absorption; ignore the cancer-cure hype.	Evidence grade B	Unclear	mixed
St. John's WortGenuinely works for mild-to-moderate depression — and is the single most dangerous supplement for drug interactions.	Evidence grade B	Unclear	mixed
SaffronSurprisingly solid for low mood at ~30 mg/day — a rare botantical antidepressant with real trials, carrying the serotonergic caveat.	Evidence grade B	Unclear	mixed
SAM-eA methyl donor with genuine antidepressant and osteoarthritis evidence — effective, pricey, and serotonergic.	Evidence grade B	Unclear	mixed
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)The brain-penetrant carnitine — real evidence for diabetic neuropathy, softer signals for mood and aging cognition.	Evidence grade B	Unclear	mixed
L-Tryptophan / 5-HTPSerotonin/melatonin precursors with modest sleep-and-mood signals — and the sharpest serotonergic-drug caution on the shelf.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
Mucuna Pruriens (L-Dopa)A natural L-dopa source with real Parkinson's data — and exactly the drug-interaction risks that implies.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
UridineA nucleotide with a plausible membrane-and-dopamine story and thin standalone human data.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
SarcosineAn NMDA co-agonist amino acid with real add-on evidence in schizophrenia — a niche, mechanism-driven mood/cognition agent.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum)A South African mood herb (standardized as Zembrin) with early anxiolytic and cognitive signals — and serotonergic caution.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
Lithium (Low-Dose)A trace element sold at microdoses for mood — intriguing epidemiology, almost no supplement-dose trial data.	Evidence grade D	Unclear	mixed

Curcumin (Turmeric)Evidence grade B
A genuine anti-inflammatory for joints and mood — if you solve its terrible absorption; ignore the cancer-cure hype.
Unclearmixed
St. John's WortEvidence grade B
Genuinely works for mild-to-moderate depression — and is the single most dangerous supplement for drug interactions.
Unclearmixed
SaffronEvidence grade B
Surprisingly solid for low mood at ~30 mg/day — a rare botantical antidepressant with real trials, carrying the serotonergic caveat.
Unclearmixed
SAM-eEvidence grade B
A methyl donor with genuine antidepressant and osteoarthritis evidence — effective, pricey, and serotonergic.
Unclearmixed
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)Evidence grade B
The brain-penetrant carnitine — real evidence for diabetic neuropathy, softer signals for mood and aging cognition.
Unclearmixed
L-Tryptophan / 5-HTPEvidence grade C
Serotonin/melatonin precursors with modest sleep-and-mood signals — and the sharpest serotonergic-drug caution on the shelf.
Unclearmixed
Mucuna Pruriens (L-Dopa)Evidence grade C
A natural L-dopa source with real Parkinson's data — and exactly the drug-interaction risks that implies.
Unclearmixed
UridineEvidence grade C
A nucleotide with a plausible membrane-and-dopamine story and thin standalone human data.
Unclearmixed
SarcosineEvidence grade C
An NMDA co-agonist amino acid with real add-on evidence in schizophrenia — a niche, mechanism-driven mood/cognition agent.
Unclearmixed
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum)Evidence grade C
A South African mood herb (standardized as Zembrin) with early anxiolytic and cognitive signals — and serotonergic caution.
Unclearmixed
Lithium (Low-Dose)Evidence grade D
A trace element sold at microdoses for mood — intriguing epidemiology, almost no supplement-dose trial data.
Unclearmixed

What is uncertain

Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.

Thin evidence: L-Tryptophan / 5-HTP (grade C); Mucuna Pruriens (L-Dopa) (grade C); Uridine (grade C); Sarcosine (grade C); Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) (grade C); Lithium (Low-Dose) (grade D).
Studies disagree: Curcumin (Turmeric) (mixed agreement); St. John's Wort (mixed agreement); Saffron (mixed agreement); SAM-e (mixed agreement); Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) (mixed agreement).

The evidence in words

The shortlist

Every compound in the knowledge base tagged to mood, ordered by how strong its overall evidence is. Start at the top; the grade is the honest filter.

Worth considering first

Curcumin (Turmeric) (B) — A genuine anti-inflammatory for joints and mood — if you solve its terrible absorption; ignore the cancer-cure hype. · St. John's Wort (B) — Genuinely works for mild-to-moderate depression — and is the single most dangerous supplement for drug interactions. · Saffron (B) — Surprisingly solid for low mood at ~30 mg/day — a rare botantical antidepressant with real trials, carrying the serotonergic caveat. · SAM-e (B) — A methyl donor with genuine antidepressant and osteoarthritis evidence — effective, pricey, and serotonergic. · Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) (B) — The brain-penetrant carnitine — real evidence for diabetic neuropathy, softer signals for mood and aging cognition.

Lower-evidence options

L-Tryptophan / 5-HTP (C) — Serotonin/melatonin precursors with modest sleep-and-mood signals — and the sharpest serotonergic-drug caution on the shelf. · Mucuna Pruriens (L-Dopa) (C) — A natural L-dopa source with real Parkinson's data — and exactly the drug-interaction risks that implies. · Uridine (C) — A nucleotide with a plausible membrane-and-dopamine story and thin standalone human data. · Sarcosine (C) — An NMDA co-agonist amino acid with real add-on evidence in schizophrenia — a niche, mechanism-driven mood/cognition agent. · Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) (C) — A South African mood herb (standardized as Zembrin) with early anxiolytic and cognitive signals — and serotonergic caution. · Lithium (Low-Dose) (D) — A trace element sold at microdoses for mood — intriguing epidemiology, almost no supplement-dose trial data.

Goes with

Curcumin (Turmeric)Grade BEvidence grade B
St. John's WortGrade BEvidence grade B
SaffronGrade BEvidence grade B
SAM-eGrade BEvidence grade B
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)Grade BEvidence grade B
L-Tryptophan / 5-HTPGrade CEvidence grade C
Mucuna Pruriens (L-Dopa)Grade CEvidence grade C
UridineGrade CEvidence grade C

Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) for Cognition (MCI/aging)Evidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) for Depression (older adults)Evidence grade B — AdjunctEvidence grade B
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) for Diabetic neuropathy painEvidence grade B — Best useEvidence grade B
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR): side effects, safety & interactionsGenerally safe; can cause GI upset, and, like carnitine, may raise TMAO. Mildly stimulating for some — take earlier in tEvidence grade B

Sources

This entry lists no references of its own — it is assembled from the entries it links to, whose sources are on their pages.

Last revised Jul 10, 2026. A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.