Background: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an adaptogenic herb used to prevent and treat psychosomatic disorders. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects and safety of Ashwagandha on psychosomatic functions related to stress and anxiety among patients.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Library for articles published from January 2000 to January 2022. Randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of Ashwagandha on stress and anxiety were included. Two authors independently extracted all relevant data from the included studies. Both subjective and objective measures of stress and anxiety were assessed as outcome variables.
Result: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 558 patients were eligible for this study. The findings of the meta-analysis showed a significant effect of Ashwagandha formulations on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (MD = -4.72, 95 % CI = [-8.45 to -0.99]), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) (MD = -2.19, 95 % CI = [-3.83 to -0.55]), and serum cortisol levels (MD = -2.58, 95 % CI = [-4.99 to -0.16]) compared to the placebo group. Among the included studies, four reported mild to moderate adverse events.
Conclusion: The findings from the included studies indicate that Ashwagandha formulations have beneficial effects on stress and anxiety. The adverse effects associated with Ashwagandha are limited; however, further information is required to determine its safety with long-term administration.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103062 | DOI Listing |
Aust Crit Care
December 2024
Department of Music, Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology (CCE), Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University for Development Studies, Ghana; Department of Music, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, 3-98 Fine Arts Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2C9, Canada. Electronic address:
Background: Despite syntheses of evidence showing efficacy of music intervention for improving psychological and physiological outcomes in critically ill patients, interventions that include nonmusic sounds have not been addressed in reviews of evidence. It is unclear if nonmusic sounds in the intensive care unit (ICU) can confer benefits similar to those of music.
Objective: The aim of this study was to summarise and contrast available evidence on the effect of music and nonmusic sound interventions for the physiological and psychological outcomes of ICU patients based on the results of randomised controlled trials.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
December 2024
Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India. Electronic address:
The Gut-Brain Axis (GBA) is a crucial link between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system. Xenobiotics, originating from diverse sources, play a significant role in shaping this interaction. This review examines how these compounds influence neurotransmitter dynamics within the GBA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anxiety Disord
December 2024
School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Introduction: Past work relates intelligence quotient (IQ) to risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among soldiers. We gathered data over multiple deployments to assess how IQ relates to the rate of symptom development both directly and through increasing the risk for traumatic combat exposure.
Methods: Male infantry soldiers from a maneuver brigade (N = 582) were followed over the 3-year period of their mandatory military service.
J Anxiety Disord
December 2024
Institut für Psychologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
Background: This paper reports on the outcomes of a proof-of-principle study for the Exposure Therapy Consortium, a global network of researchers and clinicians who work to improve the effectiveness and uptake of exposure therapy. The study aimed to test the feasibility of the consortium's big-team science approach and test the hypothesis that adding post-exposure processing focused on enhancing threat reappraisal would enhance the efficacy of a one-session large-group interoceptive exposure therapy protocol for reducing anxiety sensitivity.
Methods: The study involved a multi-site cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing exposure with post-processing (ENHANCED), exposure without post-processing (STANDARD), and a stress management intervention (CONTROL) in students with elevated anxiety sensitivity.
J Pediatr Surg
December 2024
Children's Hospital New Orleans, Department of Surgery, New Orleans LA 70118, USA; Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, New Orleans LA 70112, USA. Electronic address:
Introduction: Traumatic injury is the leading cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity in the United States. While behavioral impairments of children after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been described, outcomes following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and multi-trauma (MT) are less known. We aimed to address the prevalence of behavioral and neuropsychiatric disorders in pediatric and adolescent trauma patients.
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