Herbal remedies in depression – state of the art.

Abstract

Recent decades have seen development of research and an increased interest in the psychopharmacology of natural remedies. More than 20 herbal remedies have been identified that may potentially be applied in medicine as antidepressive, anxiety relieving or sleep-inducing agents. Patients often prefer to take herbal remedies and often take them on their own, without consulting a physician. The aim of the study is to present the state of the art concerning the use of natural remedies in the treatment of depression. Following a literature review, 7 herbal remedies for which preclinical and clinical trials suggest their antidepressive influence have been identified: hypericum, lavender, borage, roseroot, chamomile, saffron and ginseng. For two of these, i.e. hypericum and saffron extracts, antidepressive effect in subjects with mild or moderate depression has been confirmed in controlled randomized clinical trials.

Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants and their possible drug interactions in two cities of the South of Brazil

“…Moreover, the plant can interact with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and thereby increase the risk of bleeding. Its interactions with statins and oral contraceptives have also been described (Nicoletti, 2012;Smeriglio et al, 2014;Szafrański, 2014). Interviewees sometimes reported suffering from dyslipidemia (14.47%, Table II), as well as using simvastatin to treat it (7.63%, Table VI).…”

Depression and Treatment with Effective Herbs

“…In several controlled clinical trials, saffron was shown to be more effective for mild to moderate depression than placebo and standard drugs. It is noteworthy that treatment with saffron is currently known to be the second leading herbal treatment for depressive symptoms [25,28,70] and in comparison with hypericum extracts, it does not cause immune system problems. Experiments on other herbal remedies such as lavender, borage, chamomile and ginseng have demonstrated antidepressant effects, but it should be emphasized that they have not yet been definitely proven [28].…”

“…Studies have shown that the desirable health effects of herbal drugs are largely due to their antioxidant properties and potential impact on cellular metabolism [28]. Medicinal plants can regulate neurotransmission by directly affecting receptors or the synthesis and distribution of neurotransmitters, or by regulating immunological processes [29].…”

Focus on Clozapine Withdrawal- and Misuse-Related Cases as Reported to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Database

“…Discontinuation should be seen here as distinct from the withdrawal scenario associated with alcohol and other addictive substances, a scenario which commonly presents together with craving, drug seeking behavior, and the inability to stop drug use [71,72]. Thus, if a discontinuation of clozapine is needed, the molecule should be gradually tapered off over several weeks rather than abruptly discontinued, except in cases of emergency (e.g., agranulocytosis), and only with close clinical monitoring [10,67,73]. There are no established guidelines regarding which antipsychotic to choose after withdrawal of clozapine [73], although anticholinergics and olanzapine may be the treatment of choice for preventing withdrawal [53].…”