from gardeningknowhow.com: Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil
microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are
without side effects and chemical dependency potential. Learn how to
harness the natural antidepressant in soil and make yourself happier and
healthier. Read on to see how dirt makes you happy. 

Natural remedies have been around for untold centuries. These natural
remedies included cures for almost any physical ailment as well as
mental and emotional afflictions. Ancient healers may not have known why
something worked but simply that it did. Modern scientists have
unraveled the why of many medicinal plants and practices but only
recently are they finding remedies that were previously unknown and yet,
still a part of the natural life cycle. Soil microbes and human health
now have a positive link which has been studied and found to be
verifiable.

Soil Microbes and Human Health

Did you know that there’s a natural antidepressant in soil? It’s true. Mycobacterium vaccae
is the substance under study and has indeed been found to mirror the
effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found
in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed
and happier. Studies were conducted on cancer patients and they
reported a better quality of life and less stress.

Lack of serotonin has been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive
compulsive disorder and bipolar problems. The bacterium appears to be a
natural antidepressant in soil and has no adverse health effects. These
antidepressant microbes in soil may be as easy to use as just playing in
the dirt. 

Most avid gardeners will tell you that their landscape is their
“happy place” and the actual physical act of gardening is a stress
reducer and mood lifter. The fact that there is some science behind it
adds additional credibility to these garden addicts’ claims. The
presence of a soil bacteria antidepressant is not a surprise to many of
us who have experienced the phenomenon ourselves. Backing it up with
science is fascinating, but not shocking, to the happy gardener.

Mycrobacterium antidepressant microbes in soil are also being
investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease and even
rheumatoid arthritis.

How Dirt Makes You Happy

Antidepressant microbes in soil cause cytokine levels to rise, which
results in the production of higher levels of serotonin. The bacterium
was tested both by injection and ingestion on rats and the results were
increased cognitive ability, lower stress and better concentration to
tasks than a control group.

Gardeners inhale the bacteria, have topical contact with it and get
it into their bloodstreams when there is a cut or other pathway for
infection. The natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can
be felt for up to 3 weeks if the experiments with rats are any
indication. So get out and play in the dirt and improve your mood and
your life.

Written by Bonnie L. Grant
source: Gardening Know How