Medicinal plants with potential for treating anxiety and depression disorders: an integrative review

Sociobiodiversity can contribute to innovation in medicines from Brazilian plant diversity. This work sought to gather evidence from clinical studies on the effectiveness of using medicinal plants and herbal medicines in treating anxiety disorders and depression. Thus, an integrative review was carried out with a selection of plants from the work of Pio Corrêa (1926 - 1978) and through the PubMed, Lilacs and Cochrane databases. After applying the selection criteria, 43 articles were listed, and 12 plants were investigated. It was possible to demonstrate anxiolytic effects for saffron (Crocus sativus), cimicífuga (Actaea racemosa), dill (Anethum graveolens), orange (Citrus x aurantium), hops (Humulus lupulus), melissa (Melissa officinalis), passion fruit (Passiflora incarnata) and valeriana (Valeriana officinalis); antidepressants for saffron, curcuma (Curcuma longa), hops and melissa; sedatives for saffron, lettuce (Lactuca sativa), citron (Aloysia citriodora), hops, melissa, passion fruit and valeriana (Valeriana officinalis). Therefore, phytotherapy can help treat anxiety disorders and depression in mental health care, using plants from Brazilian sociobiodiversity. However, further investigations with clinical trials and investments in biotechnology are necessary to ensure the development of innovation in medicines of plant origin.