Antidepressant Activity of Plants: A Review
Abstract
Depression is the commonly reported disorder and conventional medicine is being used to treat depression. Most of the population in developing countries relies on alternative medicine. In an attempt to avoid side effects of allopathic medicine, people have been resorting to popular traditional herbal medicines to treat depressive disorders. 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 traditional system of medicine to treat mild to moderate depression states include the popular Scutellaria laterifolia, Paeonia lactiflora, Ginkgo biloba, Mimosa pudica, Hordeum vulgare, Rosarinus officinalis, Panax ginseng, Melissa officinalis, Lobelia inflate and Hypericum perforatum.