Natural products as antidepressants documented in Chinese patents from 1992 to 2013

Depressive disorder is a severe psychiatric problem all over the world. Clinical therapeutic agents for the treatment of depression in the market targeting on monoamine neurotransmitters are far from satisfaction due to their adverse effects. Novel classes of antidepressant agents with different mechanisms and low toxicity are needed. Natural products from traditional Chinese medicines have been revealed as new sources to cure the depressive symptoms with various chemical structures and promising activities. This paper reviews natural products as antidepressants documented in Chinese patents so far.