Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is defined as nearly constant worry or fear about everyday events. Patients who suffer from it are often prescribed anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines, but such medications can have unwanted side effects.
In a study accepted by the Journal of Psychiatric Research in May, 2006, and published online ahead of print, 107 patients with GAD, or a similar condition called adjustment disorder with anxious mood, received either a high dose of a gingko biloba extract called EGb 761®, a low dose of the same extract, or a placebo for four weeks.
Result: the extract worked roughly as well as benzodiazepines, but was tolerated better, had fewer serious adverse effects and had no risk of dependence.
Although the study will need to be repeated in a larger population to verify the efficacy of the extract, it is just one more example of how the combination of compounds in a natural botanical or botanical extract can perform on a par with single-compound synthetic drugs, but with far fewer negatives. More attention needs to be given to this kind of research.
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