Clinical Nutrition Research

The Korean Society of Clinical Nutrition (한국임상영양학회)
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The Effect of Oral Chamomile on Anxiety: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials

  • Sogand Saadatmand (Student Research and Technology Committee, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Foad Zohroudi (Student Research and Technology Committee, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Hadith Tangestani (Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2024.02.25
  • Accepted : 2024.04.11
  • Published : 2024.04.30
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Abstract

Anxiety disorder is a prevalent psychiatric issue that affects 4.05% of the global population. As complementary and alternative medicine gains popularity, many individuals with anxiety symptoms seek herbal remedies. This systematic review aims to explore the sedative efficacy of chamomile as an herbal medicine for anxiety treatment. Our search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases until August 2023. Among 389 papers found, after removing duplicates and irrelevant papers, 10 clinical trials investigating the effect of oral consumption of chamomile on anxiety were included. Two researchers independently completed all steps, including the screening process and data extraction. Out of the 10 articles selected, 9 studies have concluded that chamomile is effective in reducing anxiety. Even though, the exact mechanism of chamomile's anxiolytic action is not well understood, evidence suggests that its active compounds, including apigenin, may modulate the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis by affecting neurotransmitter pathways. This systematic review showed that chamomile potentially has an anxiolytic effect. In addition, due to the side effects of drugs used to treat anxiety disorders, the use of chamomile seems to be effective and less dangerous.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study is related to the project No. 2483 from Student Research and Technology Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran. We also appreciate the Student Research & Technology Committee and the Research & Technology Chancellor in Bushehr University of Medical Sciences for their financial support of this study.

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