Collectively , the literature reveals pre clinical and clinical evidence for various phytomedicines modulating GABA-pathways , with comparative anxiolytic effect to the current array of pharmaceuticals , along with good safety and tolerability profiles
Anxiety disorders are chronic and functionally disabling conditions with high psychological stress , characterised by cognitive symptoms of excessive worry and focus difficulties and physiological symptoms such as muscle tension and insomnia .
Gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA ) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter within the central nervous system and is a key target of pharmacotherapies in the treatment of anxiety .
Although current pharmaceutical treatments are often efficacious , they may cause undesirable side effects including cognitive decrements and withdrawal symptoms .
Plant-based " phytomedicines " may provide novel treatment options , to act as an adjunctive or alternative to existing anxiolytic medications .
As such , we conducted a systematic review to assess the current body of literature on anxiolytic phytomedicines and /or phytoconstituents .
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Oral Matricaria recutita (Chamomile) Extract Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Objective : We conducted a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled efficacy and tolerability trial of Matricaria recutita ( chamomile ) extract therapy in patients with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) . We hypothesized that chamomile would be superior to placebo in reducing GAD symptoms with a comparable tolerability profile . Material s and Methods : Sixty-one out patients with mild to moderate GAD were enrolled , and 57 were r and omized to either double-blind chamomile extract ( n = 28 ) or placebo therapy ( n = 29 ) for 8 weeks . The study was powered to detect a statistically significant and clinical ly meaningful group difference in change over time in total Hamilton Anxiety Rating ( HAM-A ) scores . Secondary outcomes included change in the Beck Anxiety Inventory , Psychological Well Being , and Clinical Global Impression Severity scores and the proportion of patients with 50 % reduction or more in baseline HAM-A score . Results : We observed a significantly greater reduction in mean total HAM-A score during chamomile versus placebo therapy ( P = 0.047 ) . Although the study was not powered to identify small to moderate differences in secondary outcomes , we observed a positive change in all secondary outcomes in the same direction as the primary outcome measure . One patient in each treatment group discontinued therapy for adverse events . The proportion of patients experiencing 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 adverse events or more was not significantly different between groups ( P = 0.417 ) . Conclusions : This is the first controlled clinical trial of chamomile extract for GAD . The results suggest that chamomile may have modest anxiolytic activity in patients with mild to moderate GAD . Future studies are needed to replicate these observations
Collectively , the literature reveals pre clinical and clinical evidence for various phytomedicines modulating GABA-pathways , with comparative anxiolytic effect to the current array of pharmaceuticals , along with good safety and tolerability profiles
Anxiety disorders are chronic and functionally disabling conditions with high psychological stress , characterised by cognitive symptoms of excessive worry and focus difficulties and physiological symptoms such as muscle tension and insomnia .
Gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA ) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter within the central nervous system and is a key target of pharmacotherapies in the treatment of anxiety .
Although current pharmaceutical treatments are often efficacious , they may cause undesirable side effects including cognitive decrements and withdrawal symptoms .
Plant-based " phytomedicines " may provide novel treatment options , to act as an adjunctive or alternative to existing anxiolytic medications .
As such , we conducted a systematic review to assess the current body of literature on anxiolytic phytomedicines and /or phytoconstituents .