Title:Nature Against Depression
Volume: 19
Issue: 14
Author(s): A.T. El-Alfy, E.A. Abourashed, R.R. Matsumoto
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Chemical constituents, clinical trials, depression, herbal medicines
Abstract: Depression is a major health problem currently recognized as a leading cause of morbidity worldwide. In the United States
alone, depression affects approximately 20% of the population. With current medications suffering from major shortcomings that include
slow onset of action, poor efficacy, and unwanted side effects, the search for new and improved antidepressants is ever increasing. In an
effort to evade side effects, people have been resorting to popular traditional herbal medicines to relieve the symptoms of depression, and
there is a need for more empirical knowledge about their use and effectiveness. This review provides an overview of the current
knowledge state regarding a variety of natural plant products commonly used in depression. Herbal medicines discussed that have been
used in clinical trials for the treatment of mild to moderate depression states include the popular St. John’s wort, saffron, Rhodiola,
lavender, Echium, and the Chinese formula banxia houpu. In addition, new emerging herbal products that have been studied in different
animal models are discussed including Polygala tenuifolia, the traditional Chinese herbal SYJN formula, gan mai da zao, and Cannabis
sativa constituents. A comprehensive review of the chemical, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of each of the reviewed products is
provided. Finally, recent preclinical studies reporting the antidepressant action of marine-derived natural products are discussed at the
end of the review.
