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An alternative treatment for anxiety: A systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Pratte et al. (2014) provides us with a systematic review of the human-based trials of the herb withania somnifera (WS) as a treatment for anxiety. Of the 62 abstracts that were screened, five were human randomized controlled trials with a treatment arm that included WS as a remedy for anxiety or stress, and were therefore included in this review. Three studies compared several dosage levels of WS extract with placebos using versions of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, with two demonstrating the significant benefit of WS versus a placebo, and the third demonstrating beneficial effects insufficient to be statistically significant. Another study compared naturopathic care (without the use of drugs) with WS versus psychotherapy, observing greater reductions in Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores in the WS group (56.5% decrease) than the psychotherapy group (30.5% reduction). The fifth study found larger reductions in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores in the WS group (44%) than the placebo group (5.5%), with the difference being statistically significant. However, Pratte et al. (2014) revealed that all studies exhibited unclear or high risk of bias, and heterogenous design and reporting. This prevented the possibility of meta-analysis. Although all five studies concluded that administration of the herb WS resulted in greater score improvements than placebos in outcomes on anxiety or stress scales, this review recommends considering this evidence with caution, given the aforementioned limitations. [NPID: withania somnifera, WSE, anxiety, stress, herbs]
Year: 2014
