ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses specific herb are the general effects that lend themselves to antidepressant effects, as per the most recent theories about the etiology and pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Herbs have been shown to prevent or relieve depression-like syndromes caused by persistent stress, such as restraint or unpredictable mild shock; chronic exposure to stress hormones; systemic inflammation, such as that induced by injection of lipopolysaccharide. The three primary mechanisms discussed are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic/anti-Metabolic Syndrome effects. The paradigms by which antidepressant effects are demonstrated are the tail suspension and forced swim tests, and the sucrose preference test. There are several methods by which the anti-inflammatory effects of herbs are evaluated. Metabolic Syndrome is known to play a role in the development of MDD due to inflammation. The antidepressant-like effects of the herbs in animals, mostly rodents, were demonstrated by one or more standard techniques, including the forced swim test, tail suspension test, and the sucrose consumption test.
