Homeopathic Remedy Gelsemium Sempervirens Shows Its Anti-Anxiety Effect in Scientific Experiment

Homeopathically prepared Gelsemium smepervirens has been used for over a century as a homeopathic remedy for individuals who can be suffering from anticipatory anxiety. It is also a very good remedy for influenza and many other complaints.
A recent experiment published by an Oxford University Press Journal that tested homeopathic Gelsemium in mice using standardized protocols for testing anxiety has shown that it has a significant impact, (p=0.0009 and P=0.0003). (The smaller the p value the more significant).
The study was led by Professor Bellavite in the Medicine and Surgery Faculty at the University of Verona, Verona Italy in association with Department of Medicine and Public Health (Biomedical Statistics Section) and Department  of Medicine and Public Health (Medical Pharmacology Section) at the same University.

Gelsemium sempervirens is used in homeopathy for treating patients with anxiety related symptoms, however there have been few experimental studies evaluating its pharmacological activity. We have investigated the effects of homeopathic doses of G. sempervirens on mice, using validated behavioral models. Centesimal (CH) dilutions/dynamizations of G. sempervirens, the reference drug diazepam (1 mg/kg bodyweight) or a placebo (solvent vehicle) were intraperitoneally delivered to groups of mice of CD1 strain during 8 days, then the effects were assessed by the Light–Dark (LD) choice test and by the Open-Field (OF) exploration test, in a fully blind manner. In the LD test, the mean time spent in the illuminated area by control and placebo-treated animals was 15.98%, for mice treated with diazepam it increased to 19.91% (P = 0.047), while with G. sempervirens 5 CH it was 18.11% (P = 0.341, non-significant). The number of transitions between the two compartments increased with diazepam from 6.19 to 9.64 (P < 0.001) but not with G.Sempervirens. In the OF test, G. sempervirens 5 CH significantly increased the time spent and the distance traveled in the central zone (P = 0.009 and P = 0.003, respectively), while diazepam had no effect on these OF test parameters. In a subsequent series of experiments, G. sempervirens 7 and 30 CH also significantly improved the behavioral responses of mice in the OF test (P < 0.01 for all tested variables). Neither dilutions of G. sempervirensaffected the total distance traveled, indicating that the behavioral effect was not due to unspecific changes in locomotor activity. In conclusion, homeopathic doses of G. sempervirens influence the emotional responses of mice to novel environments, suggesting an improvement in exploratory behavior and a diminution of thigmotaxis and neophobia.

Oxford University Press

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