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Review
. 2025 Mar 6;26(5):2368.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26052368.

The Potential of Selected Plants and Their Biologically Active Molecules in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Nicol Urbanska  1 , Tolulope Joshua Ashaolu  2 , Simona Mattova  1 , Patrik Simko  1 , Terezia Kiskova  3
Affiliations
Review

The Potential of Selected Plants and Their Biologically Active Molecules in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Nicol Urbanska et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The incidence of anxiety and depression disorders is increasing worldwide. There is an increasing incidence of hard-to-treat depression with various aspects of origin. Almost 80% of people prefer to use natural remedies and supplements as their primary healthcare solution. Not surprisingly, around one-third of drugs were inspired by nature. Over the past three decades, the use of such remedies has increased significantly. Synthetic antidepressants may cause various negative side effects, whereas herbal medicines are favored because of their ability to relieve symptoms with minimal to no side effects and lower financial burden. This review provides an overview of herbs and biologically active compounds used to treat depression.

Keywords: anxiety; biologically active substances; depression; herbal medicine; plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Common features of depressive and anxiety disorders.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of biologically active compounds. Abbreviations: indoleam-ine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO); NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3); prostaglandin E2 (PGE2); cyclooxygenase-2 (COX 2); tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α); interleukin (IL); oxides of nitrogen (NOX); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS); nitric oxide (NO); reactive oxygen species (ROS); reactive nitrogen species (RNS); superoxide dismutase (SOD); 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HT); dopamine (DA); dopamine receptor D1; dopamine receptor D2; noradrenaline (NA); γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA); monoamine oxidase (MAO); N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA); α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA); brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (BDNF/TrkB); nerve growth factor (NGF); glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF); cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB); nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κβ); sirtuin 1/mitogen-activated protein kinase (SIRT1/MAPK); CD11b (microglia marker); and hypothalamus-pituitary axis (HPA). Green arrow indicates support or increase of the individual matter, red arrow indicates decline or decrease of the individual matter.
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