Ziziphus spinosa seeds for insomnia: A review of chemistry and psychopharmacology

Johannah Linda Shergis; Xiaojia Ni; Jerome Sarris; Anthony Lin Zhang; Xinfeng Guo; Charlie C Xue; Chuanjian Lu; Helmut Hugel

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.004

Ziziphus spinosa seeds for insomnia: A review of chemistry and psychopharmacology

Phytomedicine. 2017 Oct 15:34:38-43. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.004. Epub 2017 Jul 4.

Authors

Johannah Linda Shergis¹, Xiaojia Ni², Jerome Sarris³, Anthony Lin Zhang¹, Xinfeng Guo⁴, Charlie C Xue², Chuanjian Lu⁵, Helmut Hugel⁶

Affiliations

¹ China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora 3083, Australia.
² China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora 3083, Australia; Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 111 Dade Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, PR China.
³ Department of Psychiatry and The Melbourne Clinic, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3121, Australia; Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn 3122, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 111 Dade Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, PR China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 111 Dade Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, PR China. Electronic address: luchuanjian888@vip.sina.com.
⁶ School of Science, RMIT University, PO Box 2476, Melbourne 3001 VIC, Australia. Electronic address: hugel@rmit.edu.au.

PMID: 28899507
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.004

Abstract

Background: In Chinese medicine, Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou is widely used for the treatment of insomnia.

Purpose/sections: This paper summarises the chemistry, psychopharmacology, and compares the pharmaceutical effects of the seeds of Ziziphus jujuba plant, Ziziphus spinosa (ZS) seeds, with benzodiazepines. Whole extracts and constituent compounds have been evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies.

Conclusions: ZS secondary metabolites modulate GABAergic activity and the serotonergic system. The actual therapeutic agents require further confirmation/identification so that new insomnia phytomedicines can be discovered.

Keywords: Insomnia; Phytochemical; Psychopharmacology; Suan zao ren; Ziziphus spinosa; Zizyphus.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology*
Humans
Molecular Structure
Psychopharmacology
Seeds / chemistry*
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / drug therapy*
Ziziphus / chemistry*
Ziziphus / classification

Substances

Drugs, Chinese Herbal
suanzaoren