Herbal Drugs in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Overview

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue of 6 months or longer duration that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. It is often age-related and may coexist with other - diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, depression, - cancer, HIV infection etc. Persons with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness. Modern medicine has limited therapies and those offered by it have strong side-effects. On the other hand, various traditional systems of medicine such as the Chinese herbal system and - Ayurveda offer several botanicals, especially the adaptogens, which have been used to combat chronic fatigue effectively. Literature reports a plethora of animal and clinical studies on the safety and efficacy of these plant drugs. The present article extensively reviews CFS, its pathophysiology, and its pharmacological treatment, with a special - emphasis on herbal drugs such as Cat's claw, Ginseng, caterpillar - fungus, ashwagandha, Tulsi, jiaogulan etc. The botanical therapies - discussed here are very commonly used drugs with profound data - available on them.