Comprehensive review of more than 23,000 studies has confirmed 64 non -raw (OTC) supplements and herb products evaluated in clinical trials on depression. St John’s WORT, SAFFRON, Probiotics, Vitamin D and OMEGA-3S showed the most powerful evidence and other evidence, such as Lavender, Akn, and Chamomile, showed promises, but needed more research.
Some popular supplements, such as melatonin and magnesium, had a mixed result and many people lacked enough evidence. This results emphasize the importance of evidence -based choice and the need for more research on overlooked remedies.
Main fact:
- The most powerful evidence: St John’s WORT, SAFFRON, Probiotics, Vitamin D and OMEGA-3S have surpassed placebo for many tests.
- New options: Lavender, zinc, chamomile, lemon balm and folic acid showed potential but needed more data.
- Some safety issues: Most of the products are not well -established, but the test requires a better safety report.
source: Frontier
Most people have heard about St John’s WORT and Omega-3. But do you know that there are herbs and supplements that can be purchased without prescription for depression?
In the review of the clinical trials of this product, we found 64 other prescription exit (OTC) products evaluated for depression, but each of the evidence is different.
Why do you see this topic?
Depression is sometimes more and more common until it is depicted as an infectious disease. In the UK, 11.3% of people report light depression, 4.2% moderate depression and 3.3% serious depression. Many of us can know people who are struggling with minor or mild depression or have difficulty with depression.
Often we will help a lot, such as antidepressants, speaking therapy, meditation or exercise. One of the most common treatments people try is OTC products that can be widely available and accessible in supermarkets, pharmacies, health food stores and online.
If you start to see which OTC products will help, the list is endless. This is especially true if you read online blogs or see social media promotions of various products. How do you know what evidence is? Which product is effective? Is it safe?
Given my background, I was naturally interested in understanding what kind of product can help and where to focus on the next study.
What did we do?
As a team, we reviewed 23,933 research records and 1,367 papers. Overall, we found 209 clinical trials that evaluated 64 OTC products for depression that collected products for more than a week. We focused on the strict ways of evaluating effects and safety -clinical trials.
The study of adults aged 18-60 with symptoms of depression or diagnosis. In addition, we reviewed the tests of the elderly individually to see if there was an age bias and confirmed that it was there.
This project is part of a larger series of research and investigates products for anxiety and insomnia.
It can be difficult to classify OTC products. Different regulations are different for each other, and some products are generally used in some regions, but are not used in other regions. The two volunteers of the public helped narrow our choices, which helped to exclude very vague products such as EELS ‘Head Powder!
So what did we find?
We expected a lot of research, but more than 200 people were more than expected! We had to recruit interns to summarize the results.
Research is not always simple. Some test capacity, products, and some have been added to the antidepressant, and some tests have a variety of physical conditions in addition to depression.
We have classified the results by the product with practical evidence (more than 10 tests), emerging evidence (2-9 tests) and a single test.
The products with practical evidence are important in omega -3 (39 tests), St. John’s Work 38, probiotics 18 and vitamin D (14) and the Middle East and some areas of Asia.
Compared to the placebo, the effect of depression was found than the Omega -3 test did not find less results. However, ST John’s WORT and SAFFRON were more effective than placebo and had similar results to prescription antidepressants. Probiotics and vitamin D were more likely to reduce depression than placebo.
Among the 18 products with emerging evidence, folic acid, lavender, zinc, tryptophan, rhodiola and lemon balm were the most prominent. Bitter Orange, Persian Lavender and Chamomile Tea also had a positive effect on two tests.
Some of the most popular products, such as melatonin, magnesium and curcumin, have a mixed effect on depression in multiple clinical trials. The combination of cinnamon, eco, vitamin C and vitamin D + calcium was also found.
Supplements such as Free Biotics, which supports good bacteria in our chapter, do not seem to be better than placebo. 41 The product was only available for a single test. This is helpful as a starting point, but it does not provide us with crucial evidence.
It is a good news that there are few safety problems in these products with antidepressants. However, medical experts should always consult whether the product can interact with other products. Safety reports of high levels of safety in the exam are essential. Only 145 (69%) of the tested research completely reported the side effects of the product.
What do you recommend in the future?
The 89 test was tested with the antidepressant, but I rarely seen whether taking OTC products during the use of the treatment had an additional impact.
There is only one study that surveyed whether OTC products (folic acid) saved the cost of health services. It was not more effective than placebo and did not lead to savings. But knowing more about this will be useful in the future. Evidence of OTC products often overlooked is also provided.
So what we have is relatively decisive evidence of some products. When people see a survey of what people usually take Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon Balm and Echanium It has emerged as a generally consumed product with emerging evidence, and it is better to study further.
Other herbal medicines commonly used for depressive symptoms are Ginseng, Gingko, Lime Flower, Orange Flossom and Peppermint, but they did not evaluate these products. Thus, our research has pioneered what research is needed to further evaluate the widely used medical products.
About this depression and psychological pharmacological research news
author: Deborah Pitches
source: Frontier
Contact: Deborah Pitchner -Frontier
video: Images are recognized as neurological science news
Original study: Open access.
“Understanding the research environment of herbs, dietary supplements and drugs that can be purchased without prescriptions evaluated for adult depression symptoms: Review of scope“Rachael Frost et al. Border
Abstract
Understanding the research environment of herbs, dietary supplements and drugs that can be purchased without prescriptions evaluated for adult depression symptoms: Review of scope
background: OTC products that can be purchased without prescriptions such as herbal medical products (HMPs) or formats have a variety of clinical evidence, but have a variety of clinical evidence. We are not sure what is the best direction for future research in this field.
target: We aimed to explore the size and characteristics of evidence available for OTC products for depression of adults aged 18-60 years old.
methods: We have reviewed the range according to Joanna Briggs Institute Guidance. We searched Medle, Embase, Psycinfo, AMED and CENTRAL in the center from December to December 2022, and 10%of the results were screened by two authors and the remaining authors.
We included randomized control tests of products that are generally available in many countries of symptoms or depression diagnosis. The results were summarized by the amount of evidence available.
result: Of the 23,933 records found, we screened 1,367 full text and included 209 tests. The biggest evidence is about omega -3, St. John’s Wott, Spran, probiotics and vitamin D.
Among the various herbal medical products with promising evidence, the most commonly used to guarantee further research was lavender, lemon balm, chamomile and echium. In the case of 41 products, only a single test was found. There are few products that suggest safety issues, whether they are used alone or antidepressants and supplements.
conclusion: Products with limited but promising evidence include folic acid, lavender, zinc, tryptophan, rhodiola and lemon balm, and future studies should focus on these products.
As an assistant of the antidepressant, additional assessment of herbal medical products is required, and potential advantages must be explored when using psychological treatments with psychological treatments to support more integrated approaches. Safety reports in this test should be further improved.
