Anxiolytic

A hydroalcoholic leaf extract at 200 to 400 mg/kg produced anxiolytic effects in the elevated plus maze and hole-board in mice, alongside separate antidepressant activity and skeletal-muscle relaxation, with no mortality up to 2000 mg/kg ^{19Reference 19Asif M et al. · 2021AnimalAnti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira Linn. leaves — animal model (mice)View study →}. An independent 70% hydroethanolic leaf extract reproduced the anxiolysis in elevated plus maze and light-dark models in rats at the same dose range, reported as comparable to diazepam ^{20Reference 20Thakur P · 2013AnimalEffect of Cissampelos pareira leaves on anxiety-like behavior in experimental animals — animal model (rat)View study →}.

Both papers ran true anxiety models, and their forced-swim and tail-suspension results belong to the antidepressant action.

Neither study names a receptor or pathway, and a comparison with diazepam is a comparator rather than evidence of GABAergic action.

The same extract relaxes skeletal muscle ^{19Reference 19Asif M et al. · 2021AnimalAnti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira Linn. leaves — animal model (mice)View study →}, which can inflate open-arm entries and light-compartment time. There is no human data and the constituents are unstandardised.

Both studies used the leaf rather than the root, from C. pareira proper rather than var. hirsuta.

In Calabrese’s cognition RCT in older adults, combined state-plus-trait anxiety scores and heart rate fell on bacopa and rose on placebo ^{27Reference 27Calabrese et al. · 2008RCTEffects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialView study →}. An acute double-blind crossover (n=17) of CDRI 08 at 320 and 640 mg reduced salivary cortisol and improved mood during a multitasking stress challenge ^{28Reference 28Benson et al. · 2014RCTAn acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08) on multitasking stress reactivity and mood — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

A standardised extract normalised corticosterone and ACTH in prenatally stressed rats ^{29Reference 29Sivasangari et al. · 2020AnimalStandardized Bacopa monnieri extract ameliorates learning and memory impairments through synaptic protein, neurogranin, BDNF signaling, and HPA axis in prenatally stressed rat offspring — animal modelView study →}, and 5-HT signalling is credited alongside the HPA effect.

The cortisol effect appears after a single dose, whereas the memory effect does not. No adequately powered trial has used anxiety as a primary outcome.

In mice an aqueous aerial-part extract produced an anticonflict effect at 25 mg/kg, with more steps in the staircase test and more time in the lit compartment, separable from frank sedation, which appeared only at higher doses ^{31Reference 31Rolland A et al. · 1991Behavioural effects of the American traditional plant Eschscholzia californica: sedative and anxiolytic propertiesView study →}. A follow-up abolished both effects with flumazenil, placing the action at the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor ^{32Reference 32Rolland A et al. · 2001Neurophysiological effects of an extract of Eschscholzia californica ChamView study →}.

The molecular assignment is specific. (S)-reticuline is a positive allosteric modulator at the α3, α5 and α6 GABA-A isoforms, while N-methyllaurotetanine carries the 5-HT1A affinity and is inactive at GABA-A below 30 µM ^{16,15Reference 16Fedurco M et al. · 2015Modulatory effects of Eschscholzia californica alkaloids on recombinant GABAA receptorsView study →Reference 15Gafner S et al. · 2006In vitroAlkaloids from Eschscholzia californica and their capacity to inhibit binding of [3H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino)tetralin to 5-HT1A receptors in vitroView study →}.

The only controlled human trial (n=264, 3 months) tested a fixed combination of Eschscholzia, hawthorn and magnesium (Sympathyl) and found a real but small advantage on the Hamilton score (−10.6 against −8.9, p=0.005) with the poppy content undisclosed ^{33Reference 33Hanus M et al. · 2004RCTDouble-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study of a fixed combination of Crataegus oxyacantha and Eschscholtzia californica and magnesium in mild-to-moderate anxietyView study →}, so the herb’s own contribution is unquantified. Alkaloid content varies several-fold between commercial products ^{17Reference 17Chauveau A et al. · 2023Alkaloids in commercial preparations of California poppy — quantification, intestinal permeability and microbiota interactionsView study →}, so no two doses are comparable.

A single 600 mg oral CBD dose reduced anxiety during a simulated public-speaking test in social-anxiety patients ^{34Reference 34Bergamaschi et al. · 2011RCTCannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients — randomised controlled trialView study →}, consistent with CBD’s CB1-independent profile of 5-HT1A agonism and FAAH inhibition, which raises endogenous anandamide.

The effective doses were 300 to 600 mg, an order of magnitude above the 10 to 50 mg in most retail CBD products, and there is no robust trial of sustained CBD dosing in a diagnosed anxiety disorder. The evidence is acute-challenge only.

High-THC material provokes anxiety, panic and transient paranoia, so the calming effect depends on the cannabinoid and the ratio rather than on the plant.

Methanol and butanol fractions of T. aphrodisiaca were significantly anti-anxiety in the mouse elevated plus maze, comparable to diazepam at low doses ^{38Reference 38Kumar et al. · 2005Anti-anxiety activity studies of various extracts of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward — animal studyView study →}. Apigenin was isolated as the putative marker and at 2 mg/kg increased exploratory behaviour across hole-board, light-dark and mirrored-chamber models ^{39,40Reference 39Kumar et al. · 2008Pharmacological evaluation of bioactive principle of Turnera aphrodisiaca — animal studyView study →Reference 40Kumar et al. · 2008Estimation of apigenin, an anxiolytic constituent, in Turnera aphrodisiacaView study →}, and an aqueous extract produced anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in mice with a clean 28-day toxicology arm ^{41Reference 41Ana María et al. · 2019AnimalNeurobehavioral and toxicological effects of an aqueous extract of Turnera diffusa in mice — animal studyView study →}.

The pathway is GABA-A modulation at the benzodiazepine site, consistent with apigenin’s affinity for that site and its own anxiolytic effect in mice ^{42Reference 42Viola et al. · 1995In vitroApigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects — in vitro and mouseView study →}.

Everything is rodent and no human anxiety trial exists. Apigenin content in damiana leaf is low and mostly glycoside-bound, so the whole-herb dose delivering the modelled effect is undefined, and the active fractions were methanol and butanol rather than the tincture or tea the herb is taken as.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomised 57 outpatients with mild-to-moderate generalised anxiety disorder to a standardised extract (1.2% apigenin, about 220 to 1100 mg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks, and found a significantly greater fall in total Hamilton Anxiety score on chamomile (p = 0.047) ^{35Reference 35Amsterdam JD et al. · 2009RCTA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder — randomised controlled trialView study →}. A later, larger programme gave open-label chamomile 1500 mg/day for 12 weeks and then randomised responders to continuation or placebo: relapses were fewer and slower on chamomile, and the difference did not reach significance ^{36Reference 36Mao JJ et al. · 2016RCTLong-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trialView study →}.

A Bayesian network meta-analysis of 12 medicinal herbs for anxiety placed chamomile in the field, with the largest and most consistent effects for lavender (Silexan) and kava ^{37Reference 37Zhang W et al. · 2022Meta-analysisMedicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review and network meta-analysisView study →}.

The effect belongs to a specific standardised capsule, not to tea, which is how the herb is usually taken. The record is one small positive RCT and one relapse-prevention study with a non-significant primary endpoint.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study (n=40), a single 12 g oral dose significantly attenuated the acoustic startle response 30 to 60 minutes after dosing, a validated physiological marker of anxiety, without affecting mood, heart rate or blood pressure ^{44Reference 44Bradwejn et al. · 2000RCTA double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effects of Gotu Kola on acoustic startle response in healthy subjects — randomised trialView study →}. The dissociation shows an anxiolytic signal that is not sedation or a mood lift.

A small open-label study in generalised anxiety disorder (n=33, 500 mg twice daily, 60 days) reported reduced anxiety, stress and depression scores ^{45Reference 45Jana et al. · 2010Clinical trialA clinical study on the management of generalized anxiety disorder with Centella asiatica — clinical trialView study →}, and a 2017 meta-analysis of cognition and mood found C. asiatica improved alertness and reduced anger acutely ^{46Reference 46Puttarak et al. · 2017Meta-analysisEffects of Centella asiatica on cognitive function and mood — systematic review and meta-analysisView study →}.

A 2026 scoping review of mood disorders found only three small human studies (n=91 in total) and judged the evidence too limited to meta-analyse ^{47Reference 47Pedregosa et al. · 2026ReviewTherapeutic potential of Gotu Kola, phosphatidylcholine and taurine in mood disorders — systematic scoping reviewView study →}. The rigorous trial used 12 g in a single dose, an order of magnitude above the 500 mg twice-daily regimen of the open-label work.

In 24 panic-disorder patients, 200 mg of L-5-HTP significantly blunted the response to a 35% CO₂ panic challenge on subjective anxiety, panic-symptom score and number of attacks, and had no effect in healthy controls ^{48Reference 48Schruers K et al. · 2002RCTAcute L-5-hydroxytryptophan administration inhibits carbon-dioxide-induced panic in panic disorder patients — randomised controlled trialView study →}. That pattern is a normalised alarm circuit rather than general sedation.

An older double-blind comparison against clomipramine and placebo supports it weakly ^{49Reference 49Kahn RS · 1987RCTEffect of a serotonin precursor and uptake inhibitor in anxiety disorders: a double-blind comparison of 5-hydroxytryptophan, clomipramine and placeboView study →}.

Griffonia seed extract itself, at 10 and 25 mg/kg, increased time in the light compartment of a rat light-dark test, the first in-vivo evidence that the extract and not only the molecule is anxiolytic ^{50Reference 50Carnevale G et al. · 2011AnimalAnxiolytic-like effect of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill. seed extract in rats — animal modelView study →}.

One acute human challenge study is not a treatment trial, and the direct-herb evidence is rodent-only. At higher doses the same extract reduced receptive and proceptive sexual behaviour in female rats ^{51Reference 51Carnevale G et al. · 2010AnimalGriffonia simplicifolia negatively affects sexual behavior in female rats — animal modelView study →}.

A controlled programmed trial in generalised anxiety disorder (500 mg twice daily, 60 days, n=35) reported significant falls in anxiety, stress and depression scores ^{54Reference 54Bhattacharyya et al. · 2008Clinical trialControlled programmed trial of Ocimum sanctum leaf on generalized anxiety disorders — controlled clinical trialView study →}. The anxiolytic signal otherwise appears within the general stress trials ^{55,56Reference 55Saxena et al. · 2012RCTEfficacy of an extract of Ocimum tenuiflorum (OciBest) in the management of general stress — randomised placebo-controlled trialView study →Reference 56Lopresti et al. · 2022RCTA randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of a standardised Ocimum tenuiflorum extract — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

The GAD trial is small, old, not placebo-blinded in the modern sense and self-report-based, and no receptor mechanism has been established for tulsi.

The effect is consistent across trials and modest in size.

In a DASS-21 crossover pilot, a hops dry-extract supplement reduced self-reported anxiety and stress in 36 apparently healthy young adults with at least mild baseline symptoms ^{57Reference 57Kyrou I et al. · 2017RCTEffects of a hops (Humulus lupulus L.) dry extract supplement on self-reported depression, anxiety and stress levels in apparently healthy young adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover pilot study — [randomized]View study →}.

No anxiolytic mechanism has been demonstrated for hops. The GABAergic attribution carries over from the sedative α-acid work ^{58Reference 58Franco L et al. · 2012The sedative effects of hops (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm — [animal]View study →}, and the cortisol measurement in the pilot ^{57Reference 57Kyrou I et al. · 2017RCTEffects of a hops (Humulus lupulus L.) dry extract supplement on self-reported depression, anxiety and stress levels in apparently healthy young adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover pilot study — [randomized]View study →} is a measured variable rather than a demonstrated pathway.

The trial is unreplicated, small, short and in subclinical volunteers, with no dose-finding and no active comparator.

A single 25 mg dose of the standardised extract Zembrin reduced amygdala reactivity to fearful stimuli on fMRI and weakened amygdala-hypothalamic coupling, damping the threat circuit and its downstream stress output rather than producing generic sedation ^{10Reference 10Terburg D et al. · 2013Clinical trialAcute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamusView study →}.

The mechanism is the herb’s dual mesembrine-type profile, serotonin reuptake inhibition and PDE4 inhibition acting together ^{10,6Reference 10Terburg D et al. · 2013Clinical trialAcute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamusView study →Reference 6Harvey AL et al. · 2011Pharmacological actions of the South African medicinal and functional food plant Sceletium tortuosum and its principal alkaloidsView study →}.

The endpoint is a neuroimaging biomarker in healthy volunteers, not a treated anxiety disorder, and there is no randomised clinical anxiety trial. The result belongs to a single standardised extract, not to raw or fermented plant material, whose alkaloid ratios differ widely ^{62,63Reference 62Patnala et al. · 2009Investigations of the phytochemical content of Sceletium tortuosum following the preparation of “Kougoed” by fermentation of plant materialView study →Reference 63Shikanga et al. · 2012The chemotypic variation of Sceletium tortuosum alkaloids and commercial product formulations}.

Mood improvement is one of the most frequently self-reported reasons for kratom use ^{75Reference 75Grundmann · 2017ObservationalPatterns of Kratom use and health impact in the US — Results from an online survey — observationalView study →}, and mitragynine carries serotonergic (5-HT2A) activity alongside its opioid and adrenergic actions ^{76Reference 76Hiranita et al. · 2022In vitroIn vitro and in vivo pharmacology of kratom — reviewView study →}.

Controlled support is preclinical. A hydro-alcoholic leaf extract (50 and 200 mg/kg for 5 weeks) reduced anxiety- and depression-like behaviour in forced-swim, open-field and elevated plus maze tests in diabetic rats while lowering brain oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines ^{77Reference 77Chen et al. · 2022AnimalAnxiolytic and Antidepressant-like Effects of Mitragyna speciosa Extract in Diabetic Rats — rat animal modelView study →}.

Anxiety, irritability and restlessness are documented components of kratom’s withdrawal syndrome ^{78Reference 78Singh et al. · 2014ObservationalKratom (Mitragyna speciosa) dependence, withdrawal symptoms and craving in regular users — observational cohortView study →}, so in regular users part of the calming effect is relief of an opioid-adapted state, and anxiety also appears among the adrenergic effects at stimulant doses. There is no human trial, the animal model is diabetic, and forced-swim assays have debated predictive value.

Tilia bud and inflorescence extracts bind and activate GABA-A/benzodiazepine receptors and silence hippocampal neuronal firing ^{90,91Reference 90Viola et al. · 1994AnimalIsolation of pharmacologically active benzodiazepine receptor ligands from Tilia tomentosa (Tiliaceae) — animal in vivo studyView study →Reference 91Allio et al. · 2015In vitroBud extracts from Tilia tomentosa Moench inhibit hippocampal neuronal firing through GABAA and benzodiazepine receptor activation — in vitro studyView study →}, and a standardised T. americana flavonoid fraction works through serotonergic 5-HT1A/5-HT2A signalling (ED50 about 15 mg/kg) ^{92Reference 92Noguerón-Merino et al. · 2015AnimalInteractions of a standardized flavonoid fraction from Tilia americana with serotonergic drugs in the elevated plus maze — animal in vivo studyView study →}.

The behavioural signal is well replicated: dose-dependent anxiolysis in elevated plus maze, hole-board and open-field tests across aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts, with several reports calling the effect comparable to diazepam ^{93,94,95Reference 93Aguirre-Hernández et al. · 2007AnimalPharmacological evaluation of the anxiolytic and sedative effects of Tilia americana L. var. mexicana in mice — animal in vivo studyView study →Reference 94Pérez-Ortega et al. · 2008AnimalSedative and anxiolytic efficacy of Tilia americana var. mexicana inflorescences used traditionally by communities of the State of Michoacán, Mexico — animal in vivo studyView study →Reference 95Aguirre-Hernández et al. · 2007AnimalBioactivity-guided isolation of β-sitosterol and some fatty acids as active compounds in the anxiolytic and sedative effects of Tilia americana var. mexicana — animal in vivo studyView study →}. It tracks with the flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside and isoquercitrin, plus beta-sitosterol by bioactivity-guided isolation ^{96,97,95Reference 96Herrera-Ruiz et al. · 2008AnimalFlavonoids from Tilia americana with anxiolytic activity in the plus-maze test — animal in vivo studyView study →Reference 97Aguirre-Hernández et al. · 2010AnimalHPLC/MS analysis and anxiolytic-like effect of quercetin and kaempferol flavonoids from Tilia americana var. mexicana — animal in vivo studyView study →Reference 95Aguirre-Hernández et al. · 2007AnimalBioactivity-guided isolation of β-sitosterol and some fatty acids as active compounds in the anxiolytic and sedative effects of Tilia americana var. mexicana — animal in vivo studyView study →}.

There is no human trial in any indication, and the active doses are concentrated extracts and purified fractions rather than the 2 to 4 g infusion the herb is drunk as ^{98,99Reference 98Sarris et al. · 2013ReviewPlant-based medicines for anxiety disorders, Part 1: a review of preclinical studies — reviewView study →Reference 99Prescrire International · 2005ReviewManagement of insomnia: a place for traditional herbal remedies — reviewView study →}.

Anxiety is almost always a secondary outcome in saffron’s depression trials and moves in the same direction as mood. A network meta-analysis of medicinal herbs for anxiety placed saffron among the better-performing options ^{37Reference 37Zhang W et al. · 2022Meta-analysisMedicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review and network meta-analysisView study →}, the affron trial in healthy adults reported reduced stress- and anxiety-related symptoms at 28 mg/day ^{118Reference 118Kell et al. · 2017RCTaffron® a novel saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) improves mood in healthy adults over 4 weeks in a double-blind, parallel, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}, and a 2025 meta-analysis found saffron comparable to SSRIs across depression and anxiety outcomes ^{119Reference 119Shafiee A et al. · 2025Meta-analysisEffect of saffron versus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in treatment of depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38913392/View study →}.

The 2025 subclinical-symptom RCT saw no significant change in anxiety ^{120Reference 120Amadieu C et al. · 2025RCTEffect of saffron extract supplementation on mood in healthy adults with subclinical symptoms of depression: a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled studyView study →}.

Few trials use anxiety as a primary endpoint or enrol diagnosed anxiety-disorder patients, so the effect size specific to anxiety is poorly defined.

Two independent placebo-controlled somatoform trials used the extract LI 160. In one, 184 outpatients on 300 mg twice daily for 6 weeks beat placebo across a combined measure of six symptom scales ^{126Reference 126Müller et al. · 2004RCTTreatment of somatoform disorders with StView study →}; in the other, 151 outpatients on 600 mg/day improved significantly over placebo on somatic anxiety ^{127Reference 127Volz et al. · 2002RCTSt John’s wort extract (LI 160) in somatoform disorders: results of a placebo-controlled trialView study →}.

The PMS crossover trial sharpens the picture. Physical and behavioural symptoms improved significantly more than placebo, and mood and pain did not ^{128Reference 128Canning et al. · 2010RCTThe efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (St John’s wort) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialView study →}.

The evidence is for bodily, somatic anxiety rather than psychic anxiety, and there is no dedicated anxiety-disorder trial. Both somatoform trials ran 6 weeks and used the same proprietary extract ^{126,127Reference 126Müller et al. · 2004RCTTreatment of somatoform disorders with StView study →Reference 127Volz et al. · 2002RCTSt John’s wort extract (LI 160) in somatoform disorders: results of a placebo-controlled trialView study →}.

Valerenic acid and valerenol bind GABA-A with nanomolar affinity and enhance GABA responses in a β2/β3-dependent way ^{129,130Reference 129Khom S et al. · 2007Valerenic acid potentiates and inhibits GABA(A) receptors: molecular mechanism and subunit specificityView study →Reference 130Benke D et al. · 2009AnimalGABA-A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acidView study →}. The anxiolytic effect in elevated plus maze and light-dark tests is abolished in β3(N265M) point-mutant mice ^{130Reference 130Benke D et al. · 2009AnimalGABA-A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acidView study →}, so β3-containing receptors mediate it.

A companion study showed the effect tracks valerenic acid and is cancelled by co-occurring acetoxyvalerenic acid ^{131Reference 131Becker A et al. · 2014The anxiolytic effects of a Valerian extract is based on valerenic acidView study →}, which explains much of the inconsistency between preparations.

Mouse work reproduces a diazepam-comparable effect at 12 mg/kg without sedation or locomotor change ^{132Reference 132Pinder NE et al. · 2024AnimalValerenic acid reduces anxiety-like behavior in young adult, female (C57BL/6J) miceView study →}, so the anxiolysis is separable from sedation.

The human evidence is thin. Cochrane found one eligible trial and judged the evidence insufficient ^{133Reference 133Miyasaka LS et al. · 2006Valerian for anxiety disordersView study →}, a network meta-analysis of anxiolytic herbs did not rank valerian among the effective agents ^{37Reference 37Zhang W et al. · 2022Meta-analysisMedicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review and network meta-analysisView study →}, a GAD pilot was underpowered and formally negative ^{134Reference 134Andreatini R et al. · 2002RCTEffect of valepotriates (valerian extract) in generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot studyView study →}, and an EEG trial altered frontal alpha coherence with no between-group clinical difference ^{135Reference 135Roh D et al. · 2019RCTValerian extract alters functional brain connectivity: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trialView study →}.

Spinosin at 2.5 to 5 mg/kg orally increased elevated plus maze open-arm time, light-compartment time and open-field centre entries without suppressing locomotion, and both effects were abolished by flumazenil and by WAY-100635, which localises the action to the GABA-A benzodiazepine site and 5-HT1A ^{146Reference 146Liu et al. · 2015AnimalGABA and 5-HT systems are implicated in the anxiolytic-like effect of spinosin in mice — [mouse in vivo study]View study →}. Sanjoinine A reproduced the pattern at 2 mg/kg and directly raised chloride influx and GABA-A subunit expression in cultured neurons, again without the locomotor suppression diazepam produced ^{147Reference 147Han et al. · 2009AnimalAnxiolytic-like effects of sanjoinine A isolated from Zizyphi Spinosi Semen: possible involvement of GABAergic transmission — [mouse in vivo study]View study →}, and jujuboside A reduces anxiety-like behaviour in insomnia-model mice ^{148Reference 148Zhang et al. · 2025AnimalJujuboside A improves insomnia by maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis in prefrontal neurons — [mouse in vivo study]View study →}.

The dissociation from sedation is what makes the anxiolytic effect distinct from the sleep action.

No single-herb human anxiety trial exists, all of it is isolated-compound rodent behaviour, and there is no evidence that an oral whole-seed decoction reaches these exposures. The traditional use is for restlessness and irritability arising from depletion rather than for anxiety as a standalone target.