Antidepressant Effect of Asperugo procumbens L. in Comparison with Fluoxetine: a Randomized Double Blind Clinical Trial

Background and objectives: Aseprugo procumbens is used as antianxety and depression in Iranian traditional medicine; however no clinical trial has been performed about these properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antidepressant efficacy and safety of hydroalcoholic extract of A. procumbens. Methods: In this double blind study, 30 outpatients with mild to moderate depressive disorder (according to DMS-IV-TR criteria who had a score of 18-25 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were randomly divided in two group, 1) received 10 mg fluoxetine capsule, 2) received 1.2 g dried extract of A. procumbens capsule (6 mg flavonoid,) orally per day. Patients were followed up for 6 weeks; the recovery process was assessed by the HDRS in weeks 0, 2, 4 and 6. Results: A significant decrease in HDRS was observed in both groups after the fourth week. After the sixth week, fluoxetine had a greater anti-depressant activity than A. procumbens (p value =0.03). There were no significant differences in terms of adverse effects in both groups. Conclusions: The hydroalcoholic extract of A. procumbens can be considered as an effective and safe remedy for mild to moderate depressive disorder.