Mood food: antidepressant effects of culinary spices

Depression represents a major contributor to the global disease burden. As a complementary strategy, dietary interventions have attracted increasing interest in mental health care. Culinary spices, traditionally used as flavoring agents, are now increasingly regarded as functional foods due to they contain diverse plant-derived bioactive compounds with neuroprotective potential. Growing evidence suggests that several commonly used spices, such as turmeric, chili pepper, black pepper, ginger and saffron, all show similar antidepressant effects. These effects are achieved by regulating neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, monoaminergic neurotransmitter, neuroplasticity and gut-brain axis. Different from traditional antidepressants, culinary spices are typically consumed as a part of daily diet in low doses over extended periods, which may allow for gradual biological effects through multiple pathways while maintaining a favorable safety profile. This review systematically summarizes the evidence of antidepressant effects of major culinary spices, explains the molecular mechanisms, and discusses the key issues related to bioavailability, safety and dietary therapy potential. Understanding the role of culinary spices in emotional regulation may provide valuable insights for nutrition-based depression prevention and auxiliary management strategies.