Title:An Evidence-Based Review of Medicinal Plants in the Overall Management of Chronic Fatigue
Volume: 17
Issue: 3
Author(s): Sakshi Tyagi, Nikhila Shekhar and Ajit Kumar Thakur*
Affiliation:
- Neuropharmacology Research Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi-110 017,India
Keywords:
Chronic fatigue, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, adaptogens, flavonoid, polysaccharide.
Abstract: Background: Fatigue is generally a normal response to physical exertion
or any stressful situation. Its prevalence rates have reached the level of
1.5-3% among the general population. Due to the unclear etiology, diagnostic ambiguity,
and resultant heterogeneousness among the population, there is a lack of
a solid treatment regimen for fatigue. As the absolute treatment option is vague,
patients are moving towards complementary and alternative medicines. Hence it
is mandatory to review the efficiency of complementary and alternative therapies
along with herbal medicines.
Objective: The purpose of this review is to carry out an evidence-based exploration
of the potentiality of medicinal plants in the treatment and management of fatigue.
Methods: This evidence-based review was performed by conducting a literature
review of the available studies from the PubMed database.
Results: The study was based on 23 pre-clinical and clinical studies. It showed
that medicinal herbs including Andrographis paniculata, Angelina sinensis, Astralagus
membranaceus, Cordyceps sinensis, Panax ginseng, Gymnostemma pentaphyllum,
Holy Basil, Lepidium meyenii, Rhodiola rosea, and Withania somnifera
that belong to various traditional medicinal systems such as Ayurveda and
Chinese Traditional Medicines can be a promising strategy to manage the various
forms of fatigue.
Conclusion: On the basis of these studies, it was concluded that the medicinal
herbs and the phytochemicals within have a possible role in improving the symptoms
associated with fatigue which can be further validated to produce targeted
therapy for fatigue.
