Phyto-Pharmacological Effect of Nine Medicinal Plants as a TraditionalTreatment on Depression

Abstract

Anxiety, stress and depression are characterized by widespread and highly comorbid psychiatric conditions in the world that are defined as a negative emotional experience and are associated with biochemical, cognitive, behavioural and psychological changes. Herbal medicine has been widely used among suffering and anxiety disorders since ancient times. The modern pharmacological therapy is costly and associated with multiple side effects resulting in patient non-compliance. Thus there is a need to explore alternative therapies particularly from herbal sources as these are cost effective and possess minimal side effects. This review investigates the available studies on the pharmacological effects of some medicinal plants on depression. The studied plants include: Melissa officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Viola odorata, Echium amoneum, Valeriana officinalis, Aloysia triphylla, Citrus aurantium and Salix aegyptica. The present article is a comprehensive review of the pharmacological properties, especially anti-depressants, anti-anxiety of nine medicinal plants that could be useful for clinical studies to produce an herbal product which use treat depression.