Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Depression is a long-term mental illness that affects one's mood, emotions, actions, and physical health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 350 people worldwide suffer from this psychiatric illness. Major depression is estimated to have a lifetime prevalence of 14-17 percent and a one-year prevalence of 4-8 percent. Women have a 10-to-25 percent lifetime prevalence rate of major depressive disorders, while men have a 5-to-12 percent lifetime prevalence rate. There are many types of depression, ranging from moderate to severe, such as psychotic depression, in which patients experience hallucinations and delusions. There are many hypotheses about the pathogenesis of depression, the majority of which are focused on indirect marker measurements, post-mortem tests, and neuro-imaging techniques. Furthermore, over the years, a variety of treatment options for depression have been created. For treatment-resistant depression, multiple treatments such as pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and somatic therapy are commonly used. Since antiquity, medicinal plants have been used to cure diseases of the body and mind all over the world. Herbal medication has also proven to be a viable option for the treatment of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and dementia, among many others. Hypericum perforatum, Centella asiatica, Rhodiola rosea, Pfaffia paniculata, Rauwolfia serpentina, Rhododendron molle, Schizandra chin, Thea sinensis, Uncaria tome, Valeriana officinalis, and withania Somnifera are the medicinal plants most commonly used to treat depression around the world.