Chrysin for Anxiety

An organic chemical, chrysin is found in a number of plants, including passionflower and some types of geraniums, as well as in bee honey. Herbalists commonly use chrysin as a treatment for a variety of medical conditions, including anxiety.

Function

• Herbalists believe that chrysin affects the same portions of the brain that benzodiazepenine drugs used for anxiety target, explains an article titled "Dietary Supplements to Promote Mental Health" and published by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Clinical Evidence

• A study at the University of Buenos Aires and published in the journal "Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior" in 1994 found that rats treated with chrysin showed fewer signs of anxiety while completing a maze than rats not given the supplements. The rats also did not experience sedation or muscle relaxation, which may occur with benzodiazepenine drugs.

Considerations

• The website RxList reports that when chrysin is ingested in supplement form, the chance exists that very little is actually absorbed into a human's bloodstream, which may limit its potential benefits in the treatment of anxiety and use for other medicinal purposes.

Time Frame

• Chrysin seems to be safe when used for up to eight weeks, reports RxList, but its long-term effects are unknown.

Restrictions

• RxList cautions that it may not be safe to use chrysin for the treatment of anxiety in women who are pregnant or nursing and in people taking prescription aromatase-inhibiting medications for breast cancer, such as aminoglutethimide and anastrozole.