title: Natural remedies for anxiety disorders: potential use and clinical applications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural remedies have been widely used and generally accepted as established treatments of depressive disorders, leading to the investigation of their potential role and efficacy in the treatment of the various anxiety disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Numerous case reports, open-label, and placebo-controlled trials investigating the use of natural remedies in the treatment of anxiety disorders have yielded some encouraging results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, these studies have indicated a potential role for natural remedies in the treatment of anxiety and suggest that such agents may possess a safer side effects profile when compared to conventional agents. However, these early findings, albeit promising, are yet to be supported by further investigation in large-scale, placebo-controlled studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article reviews past and present research being performed in this area of clinical interest, while also revealing a remarkable paucity of data.
authors.affiliation: Depression and Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. gkinrys@challiance.org
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kinrys
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rothstein
mesh_terms: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020902:Hypericum; D007294:Inositol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020901:Kava; D008550:Melatonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D029598:Passiflora; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D014632:Valerian
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D007294:Inositol; D008550:Melatonin