Herbal Star Anise (Illicium verum), The Natural Anti Depressant Alternative

By Kyle J. Norton

Star Anise may be used as an antidepressant to treat diseases associated with the central nervous system,, some scientists suggested.

The central nervous system is a part of the nervous system of the brain and spinal cord with the function of integrates information it receives from for the entire nervous system, and control all the workings of your body.

Antidepressants are a class of conventional medication used for the treatment of the major depressive disorder and other psychological conditions, including anxiety depression disorders.

A neurotoxicity is a form of toxicity that affects the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system, leading to damage of neuron and brain cells of the central nervous system.

In some cases, neurotoxicity can induce unpleasant symptoms of weakness in the limbs. altered sensation, tingling, and numbness in the limbs, headache, and loss of certain types of acute cognitive function.

However, in severe cases, neurotoxicity can cause vision loss, complete loss of memory and reduced cognitive function. 

Some patients with neurotoxicity also experience uncontrollable obsessive and/or compulsive behavior and sexual dysfunction.

Dr. Bateman DN the lead scientists in the concern of "Antidepressant use and risk of central nervous system toxicity metastasis" launched an investigation to examine "Tricyclic antidepressant poisoning: central nervous system effects and management" wrote, " All tricyclic drugs are potentially able to cause the main acute CNS toxic syndromes of coma and convulsions" and

"Coma is the most useful sign indicative of toxic risk and appears to predict severe toxic complications (fits and arrhythmias) more reliably than ECG changes".

The finding clearly suggested that the use of antidepressant should be taken with extreme care as the medicine may cause neurotoxicity similar to those of the overdose of Star Anise.

Ba Jiao Hui Xiang also known Chinese Star Anise is a spice which has been used in traditional Chinese cooking for thousands of years from a small evergreen tree, native in southwest China.

The acrid and warm herb has been used in TCM an antibiotic agent and to treat a hernia, chronic lower back pain, vomiting due to coldness in stomach, pain, and coldness in the stomach. etc. as it disperses cold moves qi and calms pain by enhancing the functions of liver, kidney, spleen, stomach channels.

Besides the main ingredient Anethole, star Anise also contains, D-pinene, I-phellandrene, Alpha-terpineol, Safrol, Methyl chavicol, Resin, Shikimic acid, etc.

Dr. Li J, the lead scientist at the Huaqiao University, in the finding a natural ingredient or whole food with a therapeutic function similar to those of conventional antidepressants with little or no side effects evaluated the behavioral and biochemical effects of macranthol, a triphenyl lignan isolated from Illicium dunnianum (Star Anise).

Depressed mice treated at different doses of macranthol (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) are subjected to the forced swimming test, tail suspension test and chronic unpredictable mild stress.

One day of the acute treatment of macranthol significantly increased the mobility time in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test.

Chronic (5-week) treatment of macranthol reversed the reduction of sucrose preference induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Where the sucrose preference test is a useful tool to investigate anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure).

Futhermore, application of macranthol completely ameliorated the corticosterone hypersecretion associated with patients with depression observed by acute swim stress or chronic unpredictable mild stress. 

Also, the chronic macranthol treatment exerted a significant effect in attenuating the reduction of serotonergic neurotransmission in brain regions of frontal cortex and hippocampus.

Where low serotonin levels have been linked to depression.

These results strongly indicated that Star Anise produced an antidepressant-like effect mediated by the serotonergic and neuroendocrine system.

After taking into account co and confounder and additional observation, the team wrote in the final report, "the finding that only chronic but not acute treatment enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression".

More importantly, with the concern that injection of Star Anise may induce acute toxicity, Dr. Chouksey D, the herb research team conducted an experiment to test the chemical component of fruit extracts and its action on the central nervous system.

The selected Male albino rats and mice were trained for seven days prior to the experiments and divided into five groups with six animals in each, prior to the drug administered by intraperitoneal route according to body weight.

At a dose of 200 mg of phenobarbitone, before injection of Star Anise, tested subjects showed a prolonged sleeping time, an alteration in general behavior pattern, reduced locomotor activity and anxiolytic effects without significant altering muscles coordination activity.

Application of Star Anise strongly inhibited the complication induced by the injection of phenobarbitone.

Compared to the efficacy of three extracts of  Star Anise at the dose of 200 mg, methanol extract was found to produce more prominent effects, then hexane and ethyl acetate extracts.

The results of the observation firmly indicated that the extracts of Star Anise possess potent CNS depressant action and anxiolytic effect without interfering with motor coordination.

Taken altogether,  Star Anise may have a depressant like effect, comparable to those of the conventional antidepressants. However, intake of Star Anise extract or whole herb should only be prescribed by the related field specialist, as acute toxicity has been detected at the the dose over 2 000 mg/kg.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Central nervous system activity of Illicium verum fruit extracts by Chouksey D, Upmanyu N, Pawar RS. (PubMed)
(2) Antidepressant-like effect of macranthol isolated from Illiciumdunnianum tutch in mice by Li J, Geng D, Xu J, Weng LJ, Liu Q, Yi LT. (PubMed)