THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINE AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF SOME SCHIZOPHRENIA`S SYMPTOMS

A esquizofrenia é a mais comum e prevalente psicose, tendo um curso crônico e deteriorativo capaz de impactar na qualidade de vida dos pacientes, familiares e cuidadores. Essa doença afeta as esferas social e ocupacional gerando custos pessoais e financeiros para o paciente e para o sistema de saúde do país. Em termos de tratamento, já existem no mercado diversos fármacos e intervenções disponíveis, sendo usados principalmente antipsicóticos em associação com outras classes de medicamentos (estabilizadores de humor, antidepressivos, benzodiazepínicos). No entanto, além de apresentarem um custo elevado, essas intervenções podem causar diversos sintomas e eventos adversos, o que influencia a adesão e sucesso no tratamento. Nesse contexto, destaca-se o uso de abordagens complementares como as plantas medicinais e a fitoterapia, que tem se mostrado, nas últimas décadas, como uma alternativa viável para auxiliar no tratamento dessa doença. As plantas medicinais são popularmente utilizadas e com isso podem representar um suporte efetivo à terapia medicamentosa de desordens mentais. Este artigo tem como objetivo revisar o uso complementar, bem como a efetividade e segurança de algumas plantas medicinais para o tratamento de sintomas da esquizofrenia. Aparentemente a combinação de plantas medicinais associada à terapia medicamentosa é uma estratégia útil para melhorar a eficácia dos antipsicóticos ou reduzir eventos adversos e custos no tratamento. Foi reportado o uso benéfico de diferentes plantas para o tratamento de sintomas da esquizofrenia incluindo: Erva de São João (Hypericum perforatum) para o tratamento de desordens afetivas e depressão; Valeriana (Valeriana officinalis) para ansiedade e epilepsia; Ginkgo biloba em casos de demência e déficit de memória; Ginseng (Panax ginseng) para pacientes esquizofrênicos com disfunções cognitivas.

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1297 Panax Ginseng Included Herbal Medicine and 37,047 Children's Growth; a Retrospective Analysis

Pediatric Research ◽

10.1203/00006450-201011001-01297 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 68 ◽

pp. 642-642

Author(s):

H Choi ◽

E Lee ◽

J H An ◽

N G Kim

Keyword(s):

Herbal Medicine ◽

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Panax Ginseng

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The in vivo neuromodulatory effects of the herbal medicine ginkgo biloba

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.111126298 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 98 (12) ◽

pp. 6577-6580 ◽

Cited By ~ 160

Author(s):

C. M. H. Watanabe ◽

S. Wolffram ◽

P. Ader ◽

G. Rimbach ◽

L. Packer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Herbal Medicine ◽

Ginkgo Biloba

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Electroencephalograph effects of single doses of Ginkgo biloba and Panax ginseng in healthy young volunteers

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior ◽

10.1016/s0091-3057(03)00120-5 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 701-709 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

D.O. Kennedy ◽

A.B. Scholey ◽

L. Drewery ◽

V.R. Marsh ◽

B. Moore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Panax Ginseng ◽

Ginkgo Biloba

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Impact of Panax ginseng and Ginkgo biloba extracts on expression level of transcriptional factors and xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes

Herba Polonica ◽

10.1515/hepo-2016-0004 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 42-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Anna Bogacz ◽

Monika Karasiewicz ◽

Karolina Dziekan ◽

Danuta Procyk ◽

Małgorzata Górska-Paukszta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cytochrome P450 ◽

Panax Ginseng ◽

Ginkgo Biloba ◽

Mrna Level ◽

Transcriptional Factors ◽

Expression Level ◽

Herbal Remedies ◽

Cytochrome P450 Enzymes ◽

Ginseng Extract ◽

Cyp Enzymes

Summary Introduction: Despite widespread use of Panax ginseng and Ginkgo biloba, the data on the safety as well as herb-drug interactions are very limited. Therefore, we postulate that P. ginseng and G. biloba may modulate the activity and content of cytochrome P450 isozymes involved in the biotransformation of diverse xenobiotic substances. Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the influence of herbal remedies on the expression level of CYP enzymes and transcriptional factors. Methods: Male Wistar rats were given standardized Panax ginseng (30 mg/kg p.o.) or standardized Ginkgo biloba (200 mg/kg p.o.) for 3 and 10 days. The expression in liver tissue was analyzed by realtime PCR method. Results: Our results showed a decrease of CYP3A1 (homologue to human CYP3A4) mRNA level after P. ginseng extract treatment. The CYP2C6 (homologue to human CYP2C9) expression was also reduced. Additionally, after 10 days of the treatment with P. ginseng an increase of CYP1A1 (homologue to human CYP1A1) and CYP1A2 (homologue to human CYP1A2) expression was observed. Moreover, G. biloba extract also caused an increase of expression level for CYP1A1, CYP2C6, CYP3A1 and CYP3A2. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that herbal extracts can modulate the expression of transcriptional factors and CYP enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and chemical carcinogenesis.

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Behavioral Effects of Ginkgo biloba L., Panax ginseng C.A. Mey. and Gincosan®

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine ◽

10.1142/s0192415x03001533 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 31 (06) ◽

pp. 841-855 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

V. D. Petkov ◽

S. Belcheva ◽

V. V. Petkov

Keyword(s):

Panax Ginseng ◽

Ginkgo Biloba ◽

Behavioral Effects ◽

Impaired Memory ◽

Dopamine Receptor Antagonists ◽

Behavioral Method ◽

Rat Strain ◽

Step Down ◽

Administration Schedules

The behavioral effects of a standardized extract from Panax ginseng roots (G115), of a standardized extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves (GK501) and of their combination (PHL-00701) (Gincosan®) were examined in experiments on rats with undisturbed memory and on rats with experimentally-impaired memory (by alcohol or by muscarinic- and dopamine-receptor antagonists), using methods for active avoidance (shuttle-box) and passive avoidance (step-down and step-through). On multiple administration G115, GK501 and PHL-00701 exerted favorable effects on learning and memory. These effects varied with the dose and administration schedules, with the rat strain and with the behavioral method. Based on earlier results, we discuss the role of changes in brain biogenic amines induced by the extracts in their mechanism of action. The present results allow for ranking G115, GK501 and their combination PHL-00701 (Gincosan®) among cognition-enhancing (nootropic) drugs.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine for Refractory Nephrotic Syndrome: Strategies and Promising Treatments

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2018/8746349 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Xiao-Qin Wang ◽

Lan Wang ◽

Yuan-Chao Tu ◽

Yuan Clare Zhang

Keyword(s):

Nephrotic Syndrome ◽

Chinese Medicine ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽

Kidney Diseases ◽

Immunosuppressive Agents ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Great Promise ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

Refractory Nephrotic Syndrome

Refractory nephrotic syndrome (RNS) is an immune-related kidney disease with poor clinical outcomes. Standard treatments include corticosteroids as the initial therapy and other immunosuppressants as second-line options. A substantial proportion of patients with RNS are resistant to or dependent on immunosuppressive drugs and often experience unremitting edema and proteinuria, cycles of remission and relapse, and/or serious adverse events due to long-term immunosuppression. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of treating complicated kidney diseases and holds great potential for providing effective treatments for RNS. This review describes the Chinese medical theories relating to the pathogenesis of RNS and discusses the strategies and treatment options using Chinese herbal medicine. Available preclinical and clinical evidence strongly supports the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine for improving the outcome of RNS. Herbal medicine such as Astragalus membranaceus, Stephania tetrandra S. Moore, and Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F can serve as the alternative therapy when patients fail to respond to immunosuppression or as the complementary therapy to improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce side effects of immunosuppressive agents. Wuzhi capsules (Schisandra sphenanthera extract) with tacrolimus and tetrandrine with corticosteroids are two herb-drug combinations that have shown great promise and warrant further studies.

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A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study of Chinese herbal medicine as complementary therapy for reduction of chemotherapy-induced toxicity

Annals of Oncology ◽

10.1093/annonc/mdl465 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 768-774 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

T.S.K. Mok ◽

W. Yeo ◽

P.J. Johnson ◽

P. Hui ◽

W.M. Ho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Herbal Medicine ◽

Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Double Blind ◽

Double Blind Placebo ◽

Chinese Herbal

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Chinese Herbal Medicine Therapy Reduces the Risks of Overall and Anemia-Related Mortalities in Patients With Aplastic Anemia: A Nationwide Retrospective Study in Taiwan

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.730776 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mu-Lin Chiu ◽

Yu-Lung Hsu ◽

Chao-Jung Chen ◽

Te-Mao Li ◽

Jian-Shiun Chiou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Herbal Medicine ◽

Aplastic Anemia ◽

Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽

Large Scale ◽

Salvia Miltiorrhiza ◽

Bone Marrow Failure ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Population Based ◽

Chinese Herbal ◽

Kaplan Meier

Aplastic Anemia (AA) is a rare but fatal hematologic disease that may occur at any age and especially higher in Asia. We investigated whether Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is beneficial to AA patients as a complementary therapy using a nationwide population-based database in Taiwan between 2000–2016. Patient survival was estimated by Kaplan‒Meier survival analyses and Cox proportional-hazard model. CHM-users presented lower risks of overall and anemia-related mortalities when compared to non-users. The risk of overall mortality for CHM-users in AA patients was 0.70-fold [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.74, p < 0.001). The risk of anemia-related mortality was lower in CHM-users when compared to non-users (aHR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.32-0.67, p < 0.001). The association rule analysis revealed that CHM pairs were Ban-Zhi-Lian (BZL; Scutellaria barbata D. Don)→Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao (BHSSC; Oldenlandia diffusa (Willd.) Roxb.), followed by Dang-Gui (DG; Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels)→Huang-Qi (HQi; Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge), and Xian-He-Cao (XHC; Agrimonia pilosa f. borealis (Kitag.) Chu)→Gui-Pi-Tang (GPT). Network analysis showed that BZL, BHSSC, DG, HQi, XHC, GPT, and Dan-Shen (DanS; Salvia miltiorrhiza var. charbonnelii (H.Lév.) C.Y.Wu) were commonly used CHMs for AA patients. Therefore, further studies for these commonly prescribed herbs are needed in functional investigations in hematopoiesis-stimulating effect and large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCT) in bone marrow failure related diseases.

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Herbal medicine and cardiovascular diseases

Therapeutische Umschau ◽

10.1024/0040-5930.59.6.301 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 59 (6) ◽

pp. 301-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zbinden ◽

Seiler

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Ginkgo Biloba ◽

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Arterielle Verschlusskrankheit ◽

Arterielle Verschlußkrankheit ◽

Based Medicine

Phytotherapeutika werden häufig von Patienten mit kardiovaskulären Problemen eingenommen. Ihr Nutzen ist umstritten, da die Datenlage der meisten Substanzen ungenügend ist. Für die drei Substanzen Ginkgo biloba, Crataegus und Knoblauch existieren aber eine Vielzahl von experimentellen und klinischen Studien, welche teilweise den Kriterien der Evidence-based Medicine entsprechen. Die aus Ginkgo biloba hergestellten Extrakte enthalten als Wirksubstanzen Flavonoide und Terpene, welche antioxidativ, respektive über eine Hemmung des plättchenaktivierenden Faktors PAF wirken. Haupteinsatzgebiete für diese Substanz sind die peripher-arterielle Verschlusskrankheit sowie die zerebrale Insuffizienz. Knoblauch hat einen leicht lipidsenkenden Effekt, welcher etwa im Rahmen einer cholesterinarmen Diät liegt. Crataegus wird aufgrund seiner positiv inotropen Wirkung häufig bei Herzinsuffizienz eingesetzt. Zusätzlich verlängert Crataegus die Refraktärzeit des Aktionspotentials, worauf sein antiarrythmischer Effekt beruht.

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