Potencial ansiolítico de plantas medicinales en el tratamiento de trastornos de ansiedad: una alternativa a los psicofármacos
Palabras clave:
extractos vegetales, plantas medicinales, trastornos de ansiedadResumen
Introducción: El aumento en la prevalencia de los trastornos de ansiedad y las limitaciones de los psicofármacos convencionales (efectos secundarios, riesgos de dependencia) han impulsado la investigación del potencial ansiolítico de las plantas medicinales. La evidencia actual sugiere que compuestos bioactivos en ciertas especies vegetales modulan sistemas de neurotransmisores (ej. GABA, serotonina) con menos efectos adversos y los posicionan como alternativas viables para el manejo de la ansiedad.
Objetivos: Describir las propiedades ansiolíticas de plantas medicinales mediante sus mecanismos de acción, eficacia y perfiles de seguridad, para proponer alternativas herbales basadas en evidencia frente a ansiolíticos sintéticos.
Métodos: Se realizó una revisión narrativa de literatura reciente (2019-2025) en PubMed, Scopus, SciElo y ScienceDirect, centrada en estudios preclínicos y clínicos de plantas con efectos ansiolíticos reportados (ej. Passiflora incarnata, Matricaria chamomilla, Valeriana officinalis). Se analizaron datos sobre mecanismos farmacológicos (ej. modulación GABAérgica, agonismo 5-HT1A), eficacia (ej. pruebas conductuales en roedores, ensayos clínicos humanos) y seguridad.
Desarrollo: Los estudios analizados demuestran que diversas plantas medicinales, como pasiflora, manzanilla y valeriana, poseen efectos ansiolíticos significativos. Estos se asocian principalmente a la modulación de neurotransmisores como GABA y serotonina, con un perfil de seguridad más favorable, comparado con psicofármacos tradicionales. Sin embargo, la evidencia clínica aún es limitada y se requieren más investigaciones para confirmar su eficacia y seguridad a largo plazo.
Conclusiones: Las plantas medicinales muestran potencial ansiolítico prometedor con perfiles de seguridad favorables, pero se necesitan ensayos clínicos rigurosos para estandarizar dosis, evaluar uso crónico y analizar interacciones con terapias convencionales.
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