History
Various opiates (via the µ-opioid receptor and κ-opioid receptor) and amphetamines were commonly used as antidepressants until the mid-1950s, when they fell out of favor due to their addictive nature and side-effects. Extracts from the herb St John's Wort have long been used (as a "nerve tonic") to alleviate depression.
Read more about this topic: Antidepressant
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“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
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“The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)