Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea
Recent studies focused on the pharmacology and feasibility of herbal compounds as a potential strategy to target a variety of human diseases ranging from metabolic to brain disorders. Accordingly, bioactive ingredients which are found within a variety of herbal compounds are reported to produce both...
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doaj-8e28a82b8f054203955478a755531b282020-11-25T03:10:44ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212020-03-019323410.3390/antiox9030234antiox9030234Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola roseaFiona Limanaqi0Francesca Biagioni1Carla Letizia Busceti2Maico Polzella3Cinzia Fabrizi4Francesco Fornai5Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, ItalyI.R.C.C.S. Neuromed Pozzilli, Via Atinense, 18, 86077, Pozzilli, ItalyI.R.C.C.S. Neuromed Pozzilli, Via Atinense, 18, 86077, Pozzilli, ItalyAliveda Laboratories, Viale Karol Wojtyla, 19, 56042 Lorenzana, (PI), ItalyDepartment of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Borelli 50, 00161, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, ItalyRecent studies focused on the pharmacology and feasibility of herbal compounds as a potential strategy to target a variety of human diseases ranging from metabolic to brain disorders. Accordingly, bioactive ingredients which are found within a variety of herbal compounds are reported to produce both neuroprotective and psychotropic activities which may help to combat mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and cognitive alterations. In the present manuscript, we focus on three herbs which appear effective in mitigating anxiety or depression with favourable risk-benefit profiles, namely Scutellaria baicalensis (<i>S. baicalensis</i>), Hericium erinaceus (<i>H. erinaceus</i>) and Rhodiola rosea (<i>R. rosea</i>). These three traditional folk medicinal herbs target the main biochemical events that are implicated in mental disorders, mimicking, to some extent, the mechanisms of action of conventional antidepressants and mood stabilizers with a wide margin of tolerability. In detail, they rescue alterations in neurotransmitter and neuro-endocrine systems, stimulate neurogenesis and the synthesis of neurotrophic factors, and they counteract oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. Albeit the encouraging results that emerge from both experimental and clinical evidence, further studies are needed to confirm and better understand the mental-health promoting, and specifically, the antidepressant effects of these herbs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/9/3/234phytochemicalsdepressionanxietymonoaminesneuroprotectionneurogenesisneurotrophic factorsantioxidantanti-inflammatory |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Fiona Limanaqi Francesca Biagioni Carla Letizia Busceti Maico Polzella Cinzia Fabrizi Francesco Fornai |
spellingShingle |
Fiona Limanaqi Francesca Biagioni Carla Letizia Busceti Maico Polzella Cinzia Fabrizi Francesco Fornai Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea Antioxidants phytochemicals depression anxiety monoamines neuroprotection neurogenesis neurotrophic factors antioxidant anti-inflammatory |
author_facet |
Fiona Limanaqi Francesca Biagioni Carla Letizia Busceti Maico Polzella Cinzia Fabrizi Francesco Fornai |
author_sort |
Fiona Limanaqi |
title |
Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea |
title_short |
Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea |
title_full |
Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea |
title_fullStr |
Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Potential Antidepressant Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis, Hericium erinaceus and Rhodiola rosea |
title_sort |
potential antidepressant effects of scutellaria baicalensis, hericium erinaceus and rhodiola rosea |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Antioxidants |
issn |
2076-3921 |
publishDate |
2020-03-01 |
description |
Recent studies focused on the pharmacology and feasibility of herbal compounds as a potential strategy to target a variety of human diseases ranging from metabolic to brain disorders. Accordingly, bioactive ingredients which are found within a variety of herbal compounds are reported to produce both neuroprotective and psychotropic activities which may help to combat mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and cognitive alterations. In the present manuscript, we focus on three herbs which appear effective in mitigating anxiety or depression with favourable risk-benefit profiles, namely Scutellaria baicalensis (<i>S. baicalensis</i>), Hericium erinaceus (<i>H. erinaceus</i>) and Rhodiola rosea (<i>R. rosea</i>). These three traditional folk medicinal herbs target the main biochemical events that are implicated in mental disorders, mimicking, to some extent, the mechanisms of action of conventional antidepressants and mood stabilizers with a wide margin of tolerability. In detail, they rescue alterations in neurotransmitter and neuro-endocrine systems, stimulate neurogenesis and the synthesis of neurotrophic factors, and they counteract oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. Albeit the encouraging results that emerge from both experimental and clinical evidence, further studies are needed to confirm and better understand the mental-health promoting, and specifically, the antidepressant effects of these herbs. |
topic |
phytochemicals depression anxiety monoamines neuroprotection neurogenesis neurotrophic factors antioxidant anti-inflammatory |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/9/3/234 |
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