Therapeutic Effects of Phytochemicals and Medicinal Herbs on Depression

Table 1

Phytochemicals against depression.

Phytochemical	Dose	Study design	Effects and mechanisms	Reference
Carvacrol	12.5–50 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Induce antidepressant effects that seem to be dependent on an interaction with the dopaminergic brain pathways	[19]
	12.5 mg/kg	Oral administration in rats	Raise 5-HT and dopamine ranges in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex; Influence neuronal activity through modulation of neurotransmitters	[20]
Curcumin	1.25–10 mg/kg	Oral administration in rats	Reduce immobility time in the forced swimming test; Reverse bilateral olfactory bulbectomy-induced hyperactivity in the open field and deficits in step-down passive avoidance	[24]
	20–40 mg/kg	Intraperitoneal injection in mice	Enhance 5-HT level	[25]
			Restore biochemical and behavioral changes induced by the chronic stress; Reverse the decreased immobility period and MAO activity induced chronic stress	[26]
	10 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Reduce duration of immobility in forced swimming test; May be associated with 5-H and 5-H subtypes	[27]
	10–20 mg/kg	Oral administration in rats	Attenuate the stress-induced hippocampus 5-H mRNA	[28]
Ferulic acid	100–250 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Attenuate stress-induced behavior; Increase CREB phosphorylation and brain‐derived neurotropic factor mRNA level in the hippocampus	[35]
L-Theanine	1–20 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Reduce immobility time in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test without ambulation in the open field test; Antagonize reserpine-induced ptosis and hypothermia	[41]
Proanthocyanidin	25–50 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Reduce immobility period in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test; Enhance 5-HT levels in hypothalamus, hypothalamus, and frontal cortex	[46]
Quercetin	20–40 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Prevent hyperactivation of the HPA axis	[50]
Resveratrol	20–80 mg/kg	Oral administration in mice	Decrease immobility period in the despair tests without influence on locomotor activity; Enhance 5-HT and noradrenaline concentrations in the brain	[59]
	40–80 mg/kg	Oral administration in rats	Reverse less weight gain, reduce sucrose preference and deficits in the shuttle box; Raise 5-HT, dopamine, and noradrenaline concentrations in brain; Reduce MAO activity	[60]