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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder
Amsterdam et al. (2009) conducted a randomized, double-blind efficacy and tolerability trial of matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract in patients with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Their hypothesis was that chamomile would prove superior to a placebo in reducing GAD symptoms with a not too dissimilar safety profile. Out of 57 participants with GAD, 28 were randomly assigned to receive chamomile extract for eight weeks while the other 29 subjects had placebo therapy for eight weeks. The results linked chamomile with a significantly greater reduction in mean total Hamilton Anxiety Rating (HAM-A) score compared to placebo (p = 0.047). Similar trends were observed for the secondary outcomes which included the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Psychological Well-Being score, and Clinical Global Impression Severity score. In terms of tolerability, the incidence of patients experiencing zero to three adverse effects or more was not significantly different between the groups, and only one person in each treatment group discontinued therapy due to adverse events. Amsterdam et al. (2009) claim the data suggests chamomile has modest anxiolytic activity in patients with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but note that further studies that replicate these trends are required. [NPID: matricaria recutita, herbs, chamomile, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety, GAD]
Year: 2009
