https://pharmacopedia.wiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Category%3ANervine_herbs 2026-05-28T18:41:53Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.46.0-beta https://pharmacopedia.wiki/index.php?title=Category:Nervine_herbs&diff=6936&oldid=prev 2026-05-23T19:11:06Z

<p>Create canonical category-page article (history-first)</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>A &#039;&#039;&#039;nervine herb&#039;&#039;&#039; is a plant medicine that acts on the central or peripheral nervous system, traditionally divided into &#039;&#039;&#039;nervine relaxants&#039;&#039;&#039; (chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, hops, skullcap, valerian, lavender, oats, vervain, motherwort), &#039;&#039;&#039;nervine stimulants&#039;&#039;&#039; (the methylxanthine plants and selected aromatics that increase wakefulness), and &#039;&#039;&#039;nervine tonics&#039;&#039;&#039; (the adaptogens and the long-term restoratives such as oat straw and St John&#039;s wort). The Western herbal tradition treats the nervines as a distinct category co-equal with the digestive herbs and the cardiovascular herbs; the Ayurvedic &#039;&#039;medhya rasayana&#039;&#039; (cognitive-restorative) category overlaps substantially.<br /> <br /> The clinical use of the nervine relaxants is for anxiety, insomnia, restless agitation, and the various somatic expressions of nervous-system overactivity (nervous-stomach dyspepsia, tension headache, situational anxiety). The pharmacological mechanism of several is now well characterised. &#039;&#039;&#039;Valerian&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Valeriana officinalis&#039;&#039;) contains valerenic acid and several iridoid esters; valerenic acid is a positive allosteric modulator at the GABA-A receptor (mechanistically related to but distinct from the benzodiazepine site). &#039;&#039;&#039;Lemon balm&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Melissa officinalis&#039;&#039;) contains rosmarinic acid and citral derivatives; it inhibits GABA transaminase and increases GABA concentration in vitro, and a small clinical-trial literature supports modest anxiolytic and cognitive-protective effects. &#039;&#039;&#039;Passionflower&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Passiflora incarnata&#039;&#039;) contains apigenin (the same GABA-A benzodiazepine-site ligand that drives chamomile&#039;s anxiolytic effect) and the controversial harmane β-carbolines; controlled-trial evidence supports mild-to-moderate generalised anxiety benefit. &#039;&#039;&#039;Chamomile&#039;&#039;&#039; (described under [[:Category:Digestive_herbs|digestive herbs]] for its primary indication) is a nervine relaxant through the same apigenin mechanism. &#039;&#039;&#039;Hops&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Humulus lupulus&#039;&#039;) contains 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol, a sedative volatile; hops are most often combined with valerian or passionflower for insomnia.<br /> <br /> The nervine tonic class is dominated by &#039;&#039;&#039;St John&#039;s wort&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Hypericum perforatum&#039;&#039;), whose hypericin and hyperforin produce a serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine reuptake inhibition that has been validated in numerous meta-analyses for mild-to-moderate depression. The clinical-pharmacology challenge with St John&#039;s wort is its very substantial CYP3A4 induction (and parallel induction of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, and the P-glycoprotein efflux pump), producing interactions with cyclosporine, oral contraceptives, antiretrovirals, warfarin, and many others that have made the medicine a routine clinical concern. The adaptogen class (ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, eleuthero, holy basil) is cross-listed under [[:Category:Adaptogens|adaptogens]] and shares the nervine-tonic clinical positioning.<br /> <br /> == Members indexed ==<br /> <br /> Valerian (&#039;&#039;Valeriana officinalis&#039;&#039;), lemon balm (&#039;&#039;Melissa officinalis&#039;&#039;), passionflower (&#039;&#039;Passiflora incarnata&#039;&#039;), hops (&#039;&#039;Humulus lupulus&#039;&#039;), chamomile (&#039;&#039;Matricaria chamomilla&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;Chamaemelum nobile&#039;&#039;), lavender (&#039;&#039;Lavandula angustifolia&#039;&#039;), skullcap (&#039;&#039;Scutellaria lateriflora&#039;&#039;), Chinese skullcap (&#039;&#039;Scutellaria baicalensis&#039;&#039;), oats (&#039;&#039;Avena sativa&#039;&#039;; oat straw and milky-oat tincture), vervain (&#039;&#039;Verbena officinalis&#039;&#039;), motherwort (&#039;&#039;Leonurus cardiaca&#039;&#039;), California poppy (&#039;&#039;Eschscholzia californica&#039;&#039;), St John&#039;s wort (&#039;&#039;Hypericum perforatum&#039;&#039;), wild lettuce (&#039;&#039;Lactuca virosa&#039;&#039;), kava (&#039;&#039;Piper methysticum&#039;&#039;, with its substantial hepatotoxicity caveat), Magnolia bark (&#039;&#039;Magnolia officinalis&#039;&#039;), the medhya rasayana group (bacopa, gotu kola, brahmi), and the calming TCM herbs &#039;&#039;Suan Zao Ren&#039;&#039; (jujube seed, &#039;&#039;Ziziphus jujuba&#039;&#039;) and &#039;&#039;He Huan Pi&#039;&#039; (mimosa bark, &#039;&#039;Albizia julibrissin&#039;&#039;).<br /> <br /> == Notes on scope ==<br /> <br /> The boundary of this category is &quot;herb whose principal or important action is on the central or peripheral nervous system.&quot; The adaptogens are cross-listed under [[:Category:Adaptogens|adaptogens]]; the herbs principally used in anxiety with a sedative/hypnotic emphasis are also cross-listed under [[:Category:Anxiolytic_herbs|anxiolytic herbs]]. Herbs whose nervous-system action is incidental to their primary indication (chamomile&#039;s anxiolytic action alongside its primary digestive use) are listed under their primary indication category with cross-reference. The pharmaceutical nervous-system medicines ([[:Category:Antidepressants|antidepressants]], the benzodiazepines and Z-drugs of [[:Category:Schedule_IV_controlled_substances|Schedule IV]], the [[:Category:Antiepileptics|antiepileptics]], the [[:Category:Neuroleptics|neuroleptics]]) are listed under their own categories with cross-reference where relevant.<br /> <br /> == About these pages ==<br /> <br /> This category page is an encyclopedia article about its subject. The actual index of herbs belonging to the category is generated automatically by the wiki engine, from category-membership declarations on the individual herb pages, and appears at the foot of the page below the references.<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Plants]]<br /> [[Category:Herbal_medicines]]<br /> [[Category:CuratedCategoryPage]]</div>

CategoryClaude