Silexan for treatment of anxiety and depression in the context of COVID-19

Bartova, Lucie; Dold, Markus; Fugger, Gernot; Weidenauer, Ana; Rujescu, Dan; Kasper, Siegfried

doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.02.015

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…A specific preparation of lavender oil (Silexan®) is available in many countries as liquid gelatine capsules as an anxiolytic drug (Kasper et al 2018 ). Preclinical and clinical evidence indicates efficacy to treat anxiety disorders and mixed anxiety/depression (Müller et al 2021 ; Bartova et al 2023 ). As mixed anxiety/depression is seen in post-COVID patients, the possible therapeutic usefulness of Silexan® in these patients has been discussed and seems to be supported by a series of case reports (Dold et al 2023 ; Kasper et al 2023 ).…”

Section: Are Herbal Multitarget Drugs a Therapeutic Option?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-target drugs for the treatment of cognitive impairment and fatigue in post-COVID syndrome: focus on Ginkgo biloba and Rhodiola rosea

Mueller,

Müller

2024

J Neural Transm

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Cognitive impairment, depression and (mental) fatigue represent the most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms of the post-COVID syndrome. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been identified as common pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these symptoms. Attempts to treat post-COVID-associated cognitive impairment and fatigue with different drugs available for other diseases have not yet been successful. One probable explanation could be that these drugs work by one specific mechanism of action only and not in a broad multi-target way. Therefore, they will not address the broad pathophysiological spectrum possibly responsible for cognitive impairment, depression and fatigue in post-COVID syndrome. Notably, nearly all drugs currently under investigation for fatigue in post-COVID syndrome are rather addressing one single target instead of the several pathomechanisms underlying this condition. Contrary to this approach, herbal drugs often consist of many different ingredients with different pharmacological properties and pharmacological targets. Therefore, these drugs might be a promising approach for the treatment of the broad symptomatic presentation and the pathophysiological mechanisms of cognitive impairment and fatigue following a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of these herbal drugs, extracts of Ginkgo biloba and Rhodiola rosea probably are the best investigated candidates. Their broad pharmacological spectrum in vitro and in vivo includes anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant as well as properties reducing cognitive impairment and fatigue. In several studies, both drugs showed positive effects on physical and mental fatigue and impaired cognition. Moreover, depressive symptoms were also reduced in some studies. However, even if these results are promising, the data are still preliminary and require additional proof by further studies.

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Section: Are Herbal Multitarget Drugs a Therapeutic Option?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-target drugs for the treatment of cognitive impairment and fatigue in post-COVID syndrome: focus on Ginkgo biloba and Rhodiola rosea

Mueller,

Müller

2024

J Neural Transm

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Die Rolle von Phytotherapie bei COVID-19-assoziierter Angst und Depression

Zourek,

Stange,

Kasper

et al. 2024

Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie

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ZusammenfassungDer vorliegende Artikel bietet einen Überblick über die Anwendung von Phytotherapie bei psychiatrischen Manifestationen, die im Kontext von COVID-19 aufgetreten sind. Insbesondere wird der Einsatz des mit eigenen Anteilen angereicherten Lavendelöls Silexan® (aus Lavandula angustifolia Mill.), des aus Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) hergestellten Extraktes EGb 761® sowie des Extraktes SHR-5 aus Rosenwurz (Rhodiola rosea L.) beleuchtet, die bereits Erfolge in der Behandlung von vordergründig milden Angstzuständen, depressiven, psychosomatischen und kognitiven Symptomen zeigten. Diese zählen zu den am häufigsten auftretenden Beschwerden im Rahmen des sog. Long-COVID-Syndroms. Im Detail stellen wir 4 Fälle vor, die unsere ersten klinischen Erfahrungen mit Silexan® bei erwachsenen ambulanten Patienten mit sowohl subsyndromalen als auch voll ausgeprägten Angsterkrankungen und depressiven Zustandsbildern illustrieren, die in Zusammenhang mit COVID-19 aufgetreten sind. In Anbetracht der langfristigen negativen Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit, Lebensqualität und Funktionalität der Betroffenen, denen durch eine frühe diagnostische Zuordnung und eine rechtzeitige adäquate Behandlung vorgebeugt werden kann, scheint ein evidenzbasierter Einsatz von Phytotherapie in der Behandlung von COVID-19-assoziierten psychiatrischen Manifestationen, die vor allem subsyndromale Ausprägung aufweisen, eine wichtige und klinisch sehr relevante Rolle zu spielen.

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