Anxiety and Herbology Overview

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There are a number of herbs that have proven effective in the treatment of anxiety. These include but are not limited to:

Damiana (Turnera aphrodisiaca): Damiana is a small shrub native to Central America, Mexico, South America, and the West Indies. The shrub produces small, aromatic flowers and smells somewhat like chamomile or Cannabis sativa. Damiana has traditionally been used as a treatment for anxiety disorders. Scientists from the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, India, found that individuals treated with a dose of 25 mg/kg of methanol extract from Turnera exhibited significantly reduced anxiety disorders. The study results were published in the Journal of Herbal Pharmacotherapy.

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate): Passionflower has long been used as a folk remedy for anxiety disorders. Researchers from Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, four-week duration, clinical trial on thirty-six out-patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder to compare the efficacy of passionflower extract with oxazepam. At the end of the study, they found that 45 drops per day of passionflower extract was effective in treating generalized anxiety disorder. In addition, individuals treated with passionflower were much less likely to suffer from job performance impairment than those treated with oxazepam. Nonetheless, researchers feel that a large-scale trial is required to confirm the results.

Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca): Thyrallis is used in traditional medicine as nerve tranquilizer. It is also often used for treating allergies and asthma. The plant can be found growing in the tropical areas of Central America from Mexico to Guatemala. A randomized, double-blind, clinical trial published in the journal Planta Medica indicated that an aqueous extract of thyrallis (GgHP) proved significantly effective in the reduction of anxiety similar to the effect produced by lorazepam. The clinical trial included 152 patients with generalized anxiety disorder, who were randomly treated orally with GgHP capsules twice a day or lorazepam (1 mg), for four weeks. Both treatments showed therapeutic safety but GgHP showed a higher tolerability than lorazepam.

References:
1. Herrera-Arellano A, Jiménez-Ferrer E, Zamilpa A, Morales-Valdéz M, García-Valencia CE, Tortoriello J.: Efficacy and tolerability of a standardized herbal product from Galphimia glauca on generalized anxiety disorder. A randomized, double-blind clinical trial controlled with lorazepam. Planta Med. 2007 Jul; 73(8):713-7.
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
3. Kumar S, Sharma A.: Anti-anxiety activity studies of various extracts of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward. J Herb Pharmacother. 2005; 5(4):13-21.
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Akhondzadeh S, Naghavi HR, Vazirian M, Shayeganpour A, Rashidi H, Khani M.: Passionflower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001 Oct; 26(5):363-7.
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11679026?dopt=Abstract