Chapter 14 - Role of Stress in Diseases and Its Remedial Approach by Herbal and Natural Products in Stress-Related Disease Management: Experimental Studies and Clinical Reports

Natural Products and Drug Discovery An Integrated Approach 2018, Pages 375-410 Natural Products and Drug Discovery Author links open overlay panelDhrubojyotiMukherjee1ParthaPalit2ShubhadeepRoychoudhury3Sukalyan K.Kundu4Subhash C.Mandal1 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Assam University, Silchar, India 3 Department of Life Science & Bio-Informatics, Assam University, Silchar, India 4 Department of Pharmacy, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Available online 23 February 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102081-4.00014-9 Get rights and content Abstract Psychological stress is the most prevalent issue in today's life, affecting millions of people worldwide in terms of productivity and quality of life. Chronic mental stress leading to sustained elevated levels of cortisol, a stress biomarker, is detrimental for the body and a causative factor for chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, impaired immunity, diabetes, psychosomatic disorders, and related neurotic disorders, etc. Until now there have been limited options available to manage stress, with variable effective outcomes. Potential antistress herbal candidates such as ginseng, ashwagandha, Ocimum, Rhodiola, Ginkgo, lavender, etc. and nutritional agents such as fish oil, poly unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acid, natural proteins such as milk peptides, etc. are established clinically and preclinically to control elevated stress cortisol levels and to help individuals coping with psychological stressors with minimal adverse effects. They might be the promising therapeutic intervention to alleviate both physical and mental stress-related symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, etc. with a preventive approach in diminishing chances of sustained elevated levels of stress hormone-induced chronic diseases. Keywords Antistress Catecholamines Clinical trial Cortisol Herbal therapy HPA axis Nutritional therapy SAS