Roseroot herb has been found to cure depression, a new study states. Rhodolia rosea, commonly called as Roseroot, has been used in traditional medicine to fight fatigue and altitude sickness, promote work endurance, increase longevity, and fight depression.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711315000331
The study published in the journal Phytomedicine entitled Rhodola rosea versus sertraline for major depressive disorder: A randomized placebo-controlled trial on March 15. The study aimed at finding basis that roseroot herb can cure depression without the adverse side effects compared to Sertraline, which is an antidepressant used to treat multiple mental disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, and panic disorder.
The researchers have found that roseroot may possess modest antidepressant effects in some patients suffering from mild to moderate depression without the side effects of sertraline.
Study process and overview
The participants of the study are patients referred by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health outpatient clinics at the University of Pennsylvania and from self-referrals through advertisements. These 57 individuals exhibited two or more major depressive episodes, depressed mood or loss of interest in activities for two weeks; and depressive symptoms like unintentional weight change, fatigue, and suicidal thoughts.
The participants were divided into three groups, each group were provided with sertraline, another roseroot, and another a placebo over 12 weeks.
The study results showed that roseroot may not have the same effective results as that of sertraline by a few points, but only 30 percent of the patients suffered from any side-effects such as nausea and sexual dysfunction compared to those given sertraline wherein 63 percent experienced side-effects.
“These results are a bit preliminary but suggest that herbal therapy may have the potential to help patients with depression who cannot tolerate conventional anti-depressants due to side-effects,” said Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, associate professor of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology and lead researcher of the study.
Over 19 million Americans suffer from depression. Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness or other symptoms such as losing interest in things one mostly enjoys. According to the National Institutes of Health of Mental Health, there are several forms of depression:
Major Depression – severe depression that interferes with work, sleep, eat, and life.
Persistent Depressive Disorder – depressed mood that lasts for two years.
Signs and symptoms of depression include:
Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
Hopelessness
Guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Suicidal tendencies
Current treatment available for depression includes administration of anti-depressants, which primarily work on neurotransmitters and most of these have side-effects. The study on roseroot may provide an efficient alternative to antidepressant drugs that have milder side-effects compared to current antidepressants available in the market.
Source: HealthAim
