Natural Medicines for Schizophrenia Some natural herbs, like ginseng and ashwagandha, have been found to be beneficial in controlling the symptoms and improving the overall well-being of schizophrenia patients.
Herbal Supplements
Yokukansan, an extract containing 7 herbs, has been shown to improve antipsychotic medication side effects and also reduce positive schizophrenia symptoms. This extract is believed to be neuroprotective and work by modulating glutamate, which is often dysregulated in schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic medication reduces psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and disordered thinking.
B vitamins.
A large review of over 800 patients found that people who took high-dose B-vitamins like B6, B8, and B12 in addition to their medications significantly reduced symptoms of schizophrenia, compared with those who took medicines alone.
Decreased brain levels of vitamin B12 have also been reported in schizophrenia[59]. Deficiencies in vitamin D have also been implicated in schizophrenia, and developmental deficiency of D3 has been associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood[13,60,61].
Scientists believe that people with schizophrenia have an imbalance of the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate .
Some studies suggest that glycine, sarcosine, NAC, several Chinese and ayurvedic herbs, ginkgo biloba, estradiol, and vitamin B6 may be effective for psychotic symptoms when added to antipsychotics (glycine not when added to clozapine).
Wendan decoction is a classical TCM prescription for spirit disorders and has been used to treat schizophrenia‐like symptoms for hundreds of years. WDD may be useful for individuals with schizophrenia as an alternative to typical antipsychotic drugs, which can have important side effects.
While there is no known cure, it is possible to live a meaningful and happy life with schizophrenia. There are many effective treatments, best provided by a team. These include medication, psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and social services, as well as tools to help you stay in school or keep working.
When omega-3 PUFAs were supplemented to UHR adolescents for a period of 12 weeks, Amminger et al. [118–120] found a significant reduction of the rate of conversion to first-episode schizophrenia, and the beneficial effects continued for a long period (6.7 years).
Spondias mombin is a medicinal plant widely use in the treatment of various ailments including mental illness. The extract contains tannins, flavonoids and saponins as its major constituents. S. mombin possess typical antipsychotic-like effects.
Four medications, ulotaront, xanomeline+trospium, CVL-231, and pimavanserin, have shown promise for treating symptoms in schizophrenia without blocking the postsynaptic dopamine receptor.
When people with schizophrenia live without adequate treatment, their mental health can worsen. Not only can the signs of schizophrenia get more severe, but they can also develop other mental health disorders, including: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Anxiety Disorders.
Unfortunately, most people with schizophrenia are unaware that their symptoms are warning signs of a mental disorder. Their lives may be unraveling, yet they may believe that their experiences are normal. Or they may feel that they're blessed or cursed with special insights that others can't see.
Mood stabilisers, including lithium and anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine have been proposed as an alternative therapy to standard antipsychotic treatments when individuals have sub-optimal responses to treatment.
A growing body of evidence has found that CBD can reduce the symptoms of psychosis. Instead of impacting the dopamine system like existing antipsychotics, CBD works partly by modulating the endocannabinoid system – a complex system which plays a role in the modulation of neurotransmitters, metabolism and inflammation.
The truth is that while schizophrenia is influenced by genetics, it isn't directly inherited.
We do not have to look very far for the causes of this. Studies have found that people living with schizophrenia tend to eat less healthily with more fat and less dietary fibre in their diet. They also tend to exercise less and are less likely to go to the doctor when they do suspect a physical ailment.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been highly linked to several psychiatric disorders like impaired memory, irritability, depression, dementia, delirium, schizophrenia and psychosis1. Other commonly associated neurological disorders include paraesthesias, numbness and sub acute combined degeneration of the spinal cord2.