Evidence-Based Herbal and Nutritional Treatments for Anxiety in Psychiatric Disorders
Item
Title
Evidence-Based Herbal and Nutritional
Treatments for Anxiety in Psychiatric
Disorders
Treatments for Anxiety in Psychiatric
Disorders
Description
A common theme today across many media articles about herbal and nutritional
treatments is there is no valid evidence for their effi cacy, and the risk of harm is high
due to potential issues such as adulteration (sometimes deliberately with pharmaceutical drugs), idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity, and herb–drug interactions. While the
lack of data may have held true three or four decades ago, even a cursory search of
the published literature reveals an accumulating evidence of safety and effi cacy for
such treatments, sometimes in a complementary role with mainstream pharmaceuticals. For example, there are now more than 30 clinical trials on the herb kava
( Piper methysticum ), including several by one of the editors of this text (Jerome
Sarris). The clinical research on the psychiatric applications of N-acetylcysteine is
particularly promising (as will be outlined in the context of anxiety in Chap. 5).
treatments is there is no valid evidence for their effi cacy, and the risk of harm is high
due to potential issues such as adulteration (sometimes deliberately with pharmaceutical drugs), idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity, and herb–drug interactions. While the
lack of data may have held true three or four decades ago, even a cursory search of
the published literature reveals an accumulating evidence of safety and effi cacy for
such treatments, sometimes in a complementary role with mainstream pharmaceuticals. For example, there are now more than 30 clinical trials on the herb kava
( Piper methysticum ), including several by one of the editors of this text (Jerome
Sarris). The clinical research on the psychiatric applications of N-acetylcysteine is
particularly promising (as will be outlined in the context of anxiety in Chap. 5).