Use of Nutraceuticals in Psychiatry

The term “nutraceutical” refers to a food or part of a food providing health or medical benefits that include prevention and treatment of a disease. It reinforces the concept of health in everyday diet as a part of nourishment and serves to functionalize food. Archaeological evidence shows that people began using plants as medicine some 60,000 years ago. Nutraceuticals are said to take part in the signal transduction pathways, maintenance of mitochondrial integrity, gene expression, and to have antioxidant effects. There are a number of nutraceuticals currently being used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, with positive results. However, they are not patent-protected and not government-sanctioned; thus, there is a lack of regulation on their production. Nevertheless, the integration of nutraceuticals into psychiatric care represents a promising avenue for enhancing mental health treatment.