Depression is a syndrome characterized by deep sadness and the inhibition of psychic functions, sometimes accompanied by neurovegetative disorders, with symptoms of anxiety almost always present. The disease produces alterations in a variety of neural networks and neurotransmission systems, along with a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which leads to concomitant alterations in the immunological response. Generally, there is a parallel increase in proinflammatory mediators as well as oxidative and nitrosative damage caused by a reduction of antioxidant defenses. In a previous review, we compiled and examined studies of medicinal plants that had been evaluated in preclinical assays, including existing data on 155 species studied and reported as antidepressants or as sources of active principles for treating this condition. This review will thus limit its focus to the 95 clinical trials found in PubMed among the 670 articles on antidepressant-like medicinal plants. To this end, we have reviewed the publications cited in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, and the Science Citation Index from 2000 to 2020. Our review emphasizes those species that have demonstrated the greatest pharmacological potential when studied for their antidepressant properties in humans through clinical trials. Saffron, turmeric, St. Johnʼs wort, ginkgo, kava, and golden root are the most relevant plants that have provided important evidence for the treatment of depression in clinical trials.

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治疗抑郁症的药用植物。II：来自临床试验的证据

抑郁症是一种以深沉悲伤和精神功能抑制为特征的综合征，有时伴有植物神经紊乱，几乎总是出现焦虑症状。该疾病会导致各种神经网络和神经传递系统发生改变，同时下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴功能障碍，从而导致免疫反应的伴随改变。通常，促炎介质以及由抗氧化防御减少引起的氧化和亚硝化损伤同时增加。在之前的一篇综述中，我们汇总并检查了已在临床前试验中评估的药用植物研究，包括关于 155 种作为抗抑郁药或作为治疗这种疾病的活性成分来源的研究和报告的现有数据。因此，这篇综述将把重点限制在 PubMed 中关于抗抑郁药用植物的 670 篇文章中的 95 篇临床试验上。为此，我们回顾了 2000 年至 2020 年在 Cochrane 系统评价数据库、PubMed 和科学引文索引中引用的出版物。我们的回顾强调了那些在研究人类抗抑郁特性时表现出最大药理潜力的物种通过临床试验。藏红花、姜黄、圣约翰草、银杏、卡瓦和金根是临床试验中为治疗抑郁症提供重要证据的最相关植物。我们回顾了 2000 年至 2020 年 Cochrane 系统评价数据库、PubMed 和科学引文索引中引用的出版物。我们的回顾强调了那些通过临床试验研究其在人类中的抗抑郁特性时表现出最大药理潜力的物种。藏红花、姜黄、圣约翰草、银杏、卡瓦和金根是临床试验中为治疗抑郁症提供重要证据的最相关植物。我们回顾了 2000 年至 2020 年 Cochrane 系统评价数据库、PubMed 和科学引文索引中引用的出版物。我们的回顾强调了那些通过临床试验研究其在人类中的抗抑郁特性时表现出最大药理潜力的物种。藏红花、姜黄、圣约翰草、银杏、卡瓦和金根是临床试验中为治疗抑郁症提供重要证据的最相关植物。