An exploratory study of salivary cortisol changes during chamomile extract therapy of moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Dysfunctions in stress biology are hypothesized to contribute to anxiety disorders, and to be ameliorated during successful treatment, but limited clinical data exist to support this hypothesis. We evaluated whether increases in morning cortisol and the diurnal cortisol slope, markers of stress biology, are associated with clinical response to chamomile therapy among subjects with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods

Among 45 subjects with DSM-IV diagnosed GAD in an open-label clinical trial of chamomile, salivary cortisol was assessed for three days each pre- and post-treatment, at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm. Mixed model analyses assessed whether GAD symptom change predicted the degree to which cortisol levels changed during treatment.

Results

Symptom

SUBMITTER: Keefe JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5710842 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature