Schizophrenia potential alternative medicine
Ginseng is not only useful as an energy enhancer, these herbal ingredients according to research also has potential to overcome the symptoms of schizophrenia similar brain disease that can damage and destroy the emotions.
In a small study, scientists from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, managed to prove that Asian ginseng, or Panax ginseng can alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia sufferers called Flat Affect. These symptoms include a marked negative symptoms of lack of motivation and emotional expression drastic decline.
In schizophrenia, the technical term negative symptoms and positive symptoms. Negative symptoms in the form of action that no adverse impact to the environment, such as locked himself in his room, daydreaming, withdrawal from relationships, and so on. While positive symptoms is an act that began with the impact on the environment, such as tantrums and shouting.
So far, the world’s experts could not find a cure for this mental illness healing. But the so-called antipsychotic therapy doctors recognized effective in reducing or reducing the positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as – hallucinations, delusional, and thought disorders.
In the United States, the disease of schizophrenia had been attacked 3.2 million people. According to the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Thomas Insel, MD, now that it is often the cause of negative symptoms and thought disorder. This also includes “flat affect” is less pleasure and motivation in everyday life, inability to communicate in a meaningful way although it has been forced to interact.
According to this Canadian experts, research on animals has indicated that Panax Ginseng is able to show efficacy in the brain as well as chemical drugs that are designed to overcome the negative symptoms and Positive Schizophrenia.
Researchers then Panax mengujicobakan schizophrenia in 42 patients who experienced negative symptoms despite receiving treatment or antipsychotic therapy. Patients are divided into two groups and during the first eight weeks, there are groups who received doses of Panax ginseng and placebo. Ginseng group got a placebo and then rotated, and the placebo group received ginseng for eight weeks. During the study, all patients still get antisikotik drug standards.
The results show, the patient experienced a decrease of 50 percent flat affect when taking ginseng with higher levels of 200 mg rather than when a placebo.
“Higher dose also significantly reduced other negative symptoms,” said, Simon S. Chiu, MD, PhD, of the psychiatry University of Western Ontario, who published his findings in the American Psychiatric Association.
He emphasized, too early to recommend people use ginseng as a schizophrenia drug. However, it shows hope that this herb can help antipsychotic treatment.