Natural products of relevance in the prevention and supportive treatment of depression

Abstract

The use of herbs or their parts: leaves, roots, rhizomes, flowers, seeds, natural strains, as well as extracts or isolated metabolites is becoming more and more popular. Natural remedies not only act prophylactically, but also help to alleviate symptoms of many diseases and enhance the overall functioning of the internal organs. Many raw materials of natural origin plays a role in treatment of health problems, and also in case of serious diseases such as depression. Depression (affective disorder) now affects about 10% of the population, but in next few years due to the development of civilization and increasing pace of life, the probable number of people suffering from this disease can grow rapidly. Natural raw materials such as Bacopa monnieri, Crocus sativus, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Griffonia simplicifolia, Hypericum perforatum, Sceletium tortuosum, Piper methysticum, Rhodiola rosea, Aspalathus linearis, Camellia sinensis, Ficus carica, Lycium chinense, Cuminum cyminum, Panax Ginseng can effectively assist the prevention and treatment of depression. Daily diet may also have positive effect in prevention of this disease. It was found that 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, L-tryptophan (which are precursors of serotonin in the CNS), omega-3 fatty acids and anthranilic acid (vitamin L1) are able to improve mood. L-Tryptophan, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan are present in the largest quantities in the fruiting bodies of edible mushrooms. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in the flesh of fish, walnuts, soybeans, beans and chicken egg protein, while the anthranilic acid is commonly found in plants.

Herbal medicine for depression and anxiety:Asystematic review with assessment of potential psycho‐oncologic relevance

“…Previous reviews have documented herbal remedies for the treatment of depression and/or anxiety (Bandelow et al, ; Ernst, ; Farah et al, ; Lakhan & Vieira, ; Muszynska, Lojewski, Rojowski, Opoka, & Sulkowska‐Ziaja, ; Sarris, Panossian, Schweitzer, Stough, & Scholey, ; Zeng et al, ). One study used polyherbal formulas for both symptoms (Liu et al, ).…”

Antidepressant‐like effects of 20(S)‐protopanaxadiol in a mouse model of chronic social defeat stress and the related mechanisms

“…In recent years, natural products have been used widely around the world and have demonstrated beneficial antidepressant‐like effects and a high safety profile (Muszyńska, Łojewski, Rojowski, Opoka, & Sułkowska‐Ziaja, ; Nabavi, Daglia, Braidy, & Nabavi, ; Xiu‐Ping et al, ). 20( S )‐protopanaxadiol (PPD) is a basic aglycone of the dammarane type saponins (tetracyclic triterpenoid saponins) found in Panax ginseng , P anax notoginseng , P anax quinquefolium , and Gynostemma pentaphyllum .…”

Chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa) and Their Products as a Possible Means for the Prevention and Treatment of Noncommunicable Diseases and Unfavorable Health Effects Due to Exposure to Xenobiotics

“…Medicinal plants are rich sources of active compounds, including vitamins, minerals, alkaloids, saponins, essential oils, and polyphenolic compounds characterized by numerous beneficial actions in the human body (Vidavalur and others ; Whelan and others ; Dong and Qin ; Prabhakar and Doble ; Boeing and others ; Bhullar and Rupasinghe ; Agbarya and others ; Muszyńska and others ). Herbs are considered to be safe and valuable for health so many people add them to their diet as functional food with the hope to decrease the risk of noncommunicable diseases, including those related to exposure to toxic substances, and to improve health status in the case of various illnesses (Szmitko and Verma ; Vidavalur and others ; Jin and others ; Whelan and others ; Lippi and others ; Dong and Qin ; Prabhakar and Doble ; Boeing and others ; Bhullar and Rupasinghe ; Agbarya and others ; de L Moreira and others ; Muszyńska and others ). Moreover, numerous plants, due to the positive impact of their ingredients on the skin, are also used in the manufacture of cosmetics (Aburjai and Natsheh ; Gediya and others ).…”