Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33596697›Full record

ReviewCanadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie2021

Plant-based Medicines (Phytoceuticals) in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Meta-review of Meta-analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials: Les médicaments à base de plantes (phytoceutiques) dans le traitement des troubles psychiatriques: une méta-revue des méta-analyses d'essais randomisés contrôlés.

Jerome Sarris, Wolfgang Marx, Melanie M Ashton, Chee H Ng, Nicole Galvao-Coelho, Zahra Ayati, Zhang-Jin Zhang, Siegfried Kasper, Arun Ravindran, Brian H Harvey and 5 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06579183 (A Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Trial to Evaluate Chinese Herbal Medicines, Multivitamins and Amino Acid-containing Supplements on Mood and Sleep Quality), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
7.6field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06579183 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

A Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Trial to Evaluate Chinese Herbal Medicines, Multivitamins and Amino Acid-containing Supplements on Mood and Sleep Quality

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe University of Hong KongRan2026 to 2028Enrolled60ConditionsSleep Disturbance, Emotional DisturbanceArmsVita Calm Mood Booster Formula (VCMBF), Vita Calm Deep Sleep Formula (VCDSF), Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. The efficacy of adjunctiveThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 12 institutions in 9 countries.

Jerome SarrisWestern Sydney University, NICM Health Research Institute, Westmead, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9287-8854
Wolfgang MarxDeakin University, IMPACT-the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia.
Melanie M AshtonDeakin University, IMPACT-the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6832-4157
Chee H NgThe Professorial Unit, The Melbourne Clinic; Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Nicole Galvao-CoelhoWestern Sydney University, NICM Health Research Institute, Westmead, Australia.
Zahra AyatiWestern Sydney University, NICM Health Research Institute, Westmead, Australia.
Zhang-Jin ZhangSchool of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Siegfried KasperCenter for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse, Wien, Austria.
Arun RavindranUniversity of Toronto and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1655-2753
Brian H HarveyDivision of Pharmacology, Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Adrian LoprestiCollege of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
David MischoulonDepression Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Jay AmsterdamDepression Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Lakshmi N YathamUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Michael BerkDeakin University, IMPACT-the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5554-6946
Barwon Health · AUThe University of Melbourne · AUCentre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAHarvard University · USMashhad University of Medical Sciences · IRMedical University of Vienna · ATMurdoch University · AUNorth-West University · ZAUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte · BRUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital · CNUniversity of Pennsylvania · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPlant-based medicines have had a long-standing history of use in psychiatric disorders. Highly quantified and standardized extracts or isolates may be termed "phytoceuticals," in a similar way that medicinal nutrients are termed as "nutraceuticals." Over the past 2 decades, several meta-analyses have examined the data for a range of plant-based medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The aim of this international project is to provide a "meta-review" of this top-tier evidence.

methodsWe identified, synthesized, and appraised all available up to date meta-analyses... of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the efficacy and effectiveness of individual phytoceuticals across all major psychiatric disorders.

resultsOur systematic search identified 9 relevant meta-analyses of RCTs, with primary analyses including outcome data from 5,927 individuals. Supportive meta-analytic evidence was found for St John's wort for major depressive disorder (MDD); curcumin and saffron for MDD or depression symptoms, and ginkgo for total and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Kava was not effective in treating diagnosed anxiety disorders. We also provide details on 22 traditional Chinese herbal medicine formulas' meta-analyses (primarily for depression studies), all of which revealed highly significant and large effect sizes. Their methodology, reporting, and potential publication bias were, however, of marked concern. The same caveat was noted for the curcumin, ginkgo, and saffron meta-analyses, which may also have significant publication bias.

conclusionsMore rigorous international studies are required to validate the efficacy of these phytoceuticals before treatment recommendations can be made. In conclusion, the breadth of data tentatively supports several phytoceuticals which may be effective for mental disorders alongside pharmaceutical, psychological therapies, and standard lifestyle recommendations.

Indexed as

Major Depressive DisorderMental DisordersAnxiety DisordersHumansMeta-Analysis as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicanxietyChinese herbal medicineclinical trialsdepressionherbal medicinemental disordersmental healthnutraceuticalpsychiatryschizophreniatreatment

Identifiers

PMID33596697
PMCPMC8573706
OpenAlexW3132789252

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.