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Related Experiment Videos

Valerian for anxiety disorders.

L S Miyasaka1, A N Atallah, B G O Soares

  • 1Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Emergency medicine department, São Paulo, Brazil. lincoln.miyasaka@terra.com.br

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 21, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Limited evidence suggests valerian may not be more effective than placebo for anxiety disorders. More research is needed to determine valerian

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry
  • Evidence-based Medicine

Background:

  • Anxiety disorders are prevalent globally, affecting general and primary care populations.
  • Herbal medicines, including valerian, are widely used and considered potential anxiety treatments.
  • Evidence of valerian's efficacy and safety for anxiety disorders requires rigorous investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of valerian in treating anxiety disorders.
  • To synthesize findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive electronic searches of relevant databases (CCDANCTR, MEDLINE, Lilacs) were conducted.
  • Inclusion criteria encompassed RCTs and quasi-RCTs of valerian for primary anxiety disorders.
  • Data extraction, quality assessment, and statistical analyses (RR, WMD) were performed by independent reviewers.

Main Results:

  • One small RCT (36 patients) compared valerian, diazepam, and placebo over 4 weeks.
  • No significant differences in anxiety symptom scores (HAM-A) were found between valerian and placebo groups.
  • Valerian showed no significant difference compared to diazepam, though diazepam indicated greater symptom improvement on STAI-Trait scores.

Conclusions:

  • Insufficient evidence exists to conclude on valerian's efficacy or safety for anxiety disorders due to the limited number of studies.
  • Larger RCTs are necessary to compare valerian against placebo and other anxiety treatments like antidepressants.
  • Further research should focus on robust clinical trials to establish valerian's role in anxiety management.

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