Herbal and Holistic Solutions for Neurodegenerative and Depressive Disorders: Leads from Ayurveda

Neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression and anxiety pose a sizable global health problem, accompanying substantial burden of disorders, suicides, physical comorbidities, high fiscal expenses, and poor quality of life. There is a recent upsurge in global interest toward the area of traditional therapies and phytomedicines are widely admired by researchers owing to their natural source and fewer side effects. On the contrary, conventional synthetic drugs have been reported with undesirable but inevitable ill effects having poor patient compliance. Thus, herbal medicines are being preferred over synthetic drug therapies as an effective remedy for many brain disorders. Ayurveda provides a holistic approach to treatment along with several nootropic herbs having multi-dimensional bioactivities in various disorders. Scattered information is available pertaining to traditional Ayurvedic remedial options for various mental disorders. Present review encompasses: (i) common brain disorders and the associated changes (ii) Ayurvedic holistic approach to manage neurodegenerative and depressive disorders, and (iii) important Ayurvedic single herbs and polyherbal formulations with description of their traditional usage and administration. Concomitantly, it opens up for future investigations and standardization on Ayurvedic nootropic herbs.