Uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Multiple Sclerosis

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Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling, recurrent demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS). It could affect different regions in the brain and spinal cord, and according to the domain which is affected, it could cause different symptoms such as motor, sensory, or visual impairment; fatigue; bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction; cognitive impairment; and depression. MS patients also face reduced quality of life. Drugs that are used in MS are not fully efficient and patients suffer from many symptoms and adverse effects. Today there is an increasing trend of using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). People are more likely to use this type of treatment. Using appropriate lifestyle and CAM therapy can subside some of the symptoms and could improve the quality of life in these patients. Many people with MS explore CAM therapies for their symptoms. This review is aimed to introduce CAM therapies that could be used in MS patients.

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Immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties of the Nigella sativa L. seed.

Rany Salem (2005)

A larger number of medicinal plants and their purified constituents have been shown beneficial therapeutic potentials. Seeds of Nigella sativa, a dicotyledon of the Ranunculaceae family, have been employed for thousands of years as a spice and food preservative. The oil and seed constituents, in particular thymoquinine (TQ), have shown potential medicinal properties in traditional medicine. In view of the recent literature, this article lists and discusses different immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutic potentials for the crude oil of N. sativa seeds and its active ingredients. The published findings provide clear evidence that both the oil and its active ingredients, in particular TQ, possess reproducible anti-oxidant effects through enhancing the oxidant scavenger system, which as a consequence lead to antitoxic effects induced by several insults. The oil and TQ have shown also potent anti-inflammatory effects on several inflammation-based models including experimental encephalomyelitis, colitis, peritonitis, oedama, and arthritis through suppression of the inflammatory mediators prostaglandins and leukotriens. The oil and certain active ingredients showed beneficial immunomodulatory properties, augmenting the T cell- and natural killer cell-mediated immune responses. Most importantly, both the oil and its active ingredients expressed anti-microbial and anti-tumor properties toward different microbes and cancers. Coupling these beneficial effects with its use in folk medicine, N. sativa seed is a promising source for active ingredients that would be with potential therapeutic modalities in different clinical settings. The efficacy of the active ingredients, however, should be measured by the nature of the disease. Given their potent immunomodulatory effects, further studies are urgently required to explore bystander effects of TQ on the professional antigen presenting cells, including macrophages and dendritic cells, as well as its modulatory effects upon Th1- and Th2-mediated inflammatory immune diseases. Ultimately, results emerging from such studies will substantially improve the immunotherapeutic application of TQ in clinical settings.

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Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial [ISRCTN45683816]

Shahin Akhondzadeh, Hasan Fallah-Pour, Khosro Afkham … (2004)

Background The morbidity and mortality associated with depression are considerable and continue to increase. Depression currently ranks fourth among the major causes of disability worldwide, after lower respiratory infections, prenatal conditions, and HIV/AIDS. Crocus sativus L. is used to treat depression. Many medicinal plants textbooks refer to this indication whereas there is no evidence-based document. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of stigmas of Crocus sativus (saffron) with imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6-week pilot double-blind randomized trial. Methods Thirty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM IV participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, single-center trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule of saffron 30 mg/day (TDS) (Group 1) and capsule of imipramine 100 mg/day (TDS) (Group 2) for a 6-week study. Results Saffron at this dose was found to be effective similar to imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (F = 2.91, d.f. = 1, P = 0.09). In the imipramine group anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth and also sedation were observed more often that was predictable. Conclusion The main overall finding from this study is that saffron may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. To the best of our knowledge this is the first clinical trial that supports this indication for saffron. A large-scale trial with placebo control is warranted.

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Crocus sativus L. in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial.

Najaf Tahmacebi-Pour, Shahin Akhondzadeh, Amir-Hossein Jamshidi … (2005)

Depression is a serious disorder in today's society, with estimates of lifetime prevalence as high as 21% of the general population in some developed countries. As a therapeutic plant, saffron is considered excellent for stomach ailments and as an antispasmodic, to help digestion and to increase appetite. It is also used for depression in Persian traditional medicine. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of the stigmas of Crocus sativus (saffron) in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6-week double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized trial. Forty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM IV participated in the trial. Patients had a baseline Hamilton rating scale for depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre and randomized trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive a capsule of saffron 30 mg[sol ]day (BD) (Group 1) or a capsule of placebo (BD) (Group 2) for a 6-week study. At 6 weeks, Crocus sativus produced a significantly better outcome on the Hamilton depression rating scale than the placebo (d.f. = 1, F = 18.89, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of the observed side effects. The results of this study indicate the efficacy of Crocus sativus in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. A large-scale trial is justified. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Tradit Complement Med

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Tradit Complement Med

Journal ID (publisher-id): JTCM

Title: Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

Publisher: Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd (India )

ISSN (Electronic): 2225-4110

Publication date (Print): Jul-Sep 2014

Volume: 4

Issue: 3

Pages: 145-152

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Pharmacognosy, Marine Natural Pharmaceutical Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

[2 ]Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

[3 ]Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

[4 ]Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Arvand International Branch, Abadan, Iran

[5 ]School of Pharmacy, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Author notes

Correspondence to: Dr. Rahil Ghanavati, Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Tel: +986113738380; Fax: +986113738381 E-mail: ghanavati.r@ 123456ajums.ac.ir

Article

Publisher ID: JTCM-4-145

DOI: 10.4103/2225-4110.136543

PMC ID: 4142451

PubMed ID: 25161918

SO-VID: 247a7671-e876-46df-8b12-230644751f19

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Multiple Sclerosis

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Most cited references 89

Immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties of the Nigella sativa L. seed.

Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial [ISRCTN45683816]

Crocus sativus L. in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial.

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