Jan
22
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 12, 2010Â
A new randomized control research trial has found that chamomile helps lessen symptoms of mild to moderate general anxiety disorder.
As a herbal remedy, chamomile tea has been used for centuries to calm nerves and its oil has been an ingredient in commercial flavors and perfumes.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, reports that “chamomile extract therapy was found to be efficacious for mild-moderate GAD.â€
Patients with mild-moderate GAD were included in the study and received either chamomile or placebo. Those that received the chamomile treatment were found to have a significant change in the severity of their GAD.
Evaluators Michael Van Ameringen and Beth Patterson comment on the results of the study, saying that they “suggest that chamomile may have modest [anti-panic] activity in patients with mild-moderate GAD and may potentially be used in those who are averse to traditional pharmacotherapy.â€
These findings are important “because many individuals who suffer from GAD do not view their anxiety as a medical condition, [and, therefore,] self-diagnosis and self-medicating with alternative, over-the-counter remedies is common.â€
Van Amerigen and Patterson said “a big strength of this paper is that the authors took a herbal remedy and subjected it to scientific rigor unlike many ‘natural’ remedies which have associated claims of efficacy with no supportive data.â€
Source: Faculty of 1000
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/02/12/chamomile-for-anxiety/11400.html
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