Schizophrenia, a devastating brain illness that affects 1 percent of Americans, normally starts in the late teen or early adult years. Schizophrenia causes a break with reality characterized by delusions, hallucinations and disorganized behaviors. Schizophrenia is a lifelong illness that can wax and wane. Treatment with powerful antipsychotic medications can control symptoms to some degree, but have numerous side effects. People with schizophrenia take herbal medications to improve symptoms. Various herbs have been tried as an adjunct treatment for schizophrenia, with varying results. Talk with your medical practitioner before starting any herbal treatments for schizophrenia.
Review of Studies
Lead author John Rathbone of the University of Leeds conducted a Cochrane review of seven studies testing herb usage in schizophrenia treatment. Rathbone reported results in the 2007 "British Journal of Psychiatry." The review found that patients who used herbs dang gui, cheng qi tang or xiao yao san in conjunction with antipsychotic medications were less likely to have no change or worsening of symptoms according to the Clinical Global Impression Scale. The review also found a lower dropout rate in people taking herbs plus antipsychotics than in the group taking antipsychotics alone.
Ginkgo Biloba
Rathbone's Cochrane review found no particular benefit to using ginkgo biloba to treat schizophrenia. However, a 2002 study reported in the "Journal of Clinical Psychiatry" by Xiang Yang Zhang noted improvement in symptoms and a decrease in negative side effects in patients who took ginkgo along with haloperidol.
St. John's Wort
St. John's wort can interact with newer antipsychotic drugs in the clozapine family, NYU Langone warns. Taking the herb along with the drug can lower blood levels of the drug. If you're already taking both the herb and the drug, stopping St. John's wort could cause your drug levels to rise. Talk with your medical practitioner for advice on how to handle a situation such as this. Drugs classed as phenothazides can cause increased sun sensitivity. Taking St. John's wort or dong quai with these medications could increase sun sensitivity.
Other Interactions
Yohimbe, an herb used to treat male impotence, can also interact with antipsychotic medications and antidepressants and should not be taken with these medications. Milk thistle may decrease the chance of liver toxicity from antipsychotic medications, the National Cancer Institute reports.
References
- "British Journal of Psychiatry"; Chinese Herbal Medicine for Schizophrenia; John Rathbone; 2007
- "The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"; A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Extract of Ginkgo Biloba Added to Haloperidol in Treatment-Resistant Patients with Schizophrenia; X. Zhang; 2001
- NYU Langone: Yohimbe
- National Cancer Intstitute: Milk Thistle
- Baptist Health Systems: Phenothiazides
