Insomnia and sleep complaints are common among older adults. Although once considered safer than benzodiazepine drugs, recent data on non-benzodiazepine drugs, such as zolpidem (Ambien(®)), have revealed similar negative effects. This issue, as well as others, has been included in the recent updated 2012 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria. This article describes the risks and benefits a...

Manahshila (Realgar) is one of the three major Arsenicals used in Ayurvedic therapeutics since ages. It is indicated in skin, respiratory, ophthalmic and psychological disorders. It is mentioned to be the best among Rasayanas and a good aphrodisiac. As Manahshila is indicated in Unmada (Psychological disorder); wide use of Manahshila in the formulations mentioned for psychological disorders; so...

We evaluate the sedative and hypnotic activities of the methanolic and aqueous extract of Lavandula officinalis L. on central nervous system (CNS). In this study, the effect of the methanolic and aqueous extracts of this plant was investigated in a battery of behavioural models in mice. Stems and flowers of Lavandula officinalis L. have several therapeutic applications in folk medicine in curin...

Processing alters the pharmacological activity and reduces the gastrointestinal toxicity of the polygalae. To investigate the effect of processing, different glycosyl substituent products were tested. Hypnotic and subhypnotic doses of pentobarbital-induced sleep tests on mice were used to evaluate the sedative activity of polygala saponins with different glycosyl substituents; isolated gut moti...

I.c.v. injection of L-ornithine has been shown to have sedative and hypnotic effects on neonatal chicks exposed to acute stressful conditions. To clarify the mechanism, we conducted three experiments under strengthened stressful conditions with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). In Experiment 1, the effect of i.c.v. injection of CRF, L-ornithine (0.5 μmol) or CRF with L-ornithine on the stre...

Anxiety is a normal behavioral component. When it too frequent or appears in inappropriate contexts, can be considered pathological. Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are drugs with clinical success anxiety treatment. BDZs act as allosteric modulators of the γ- aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR). However, these cause adverse effects. Despite therapeutic advances obtained BDZs, search for anxiolytics fe...

High-affinity extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors are persistently activated by the low ambient GABA levels that are known to be present in extracellular space. The resulting tonic conductance generates a form of shunting inhibition that is capable of altering cellular and network behavior. It has been suggested that this tonic inhibition will be enhanced by neurosteroids, antiepileptics, and sedat...

Background: Discrepancies between objectively and subjectively measured sleep variables make diagnosing insomnia in the elderly difficult. Also relevant to diagnosing insomnia in the elderly are expectations about sleep, gender and use of sedative-hypnotic medication. The present study focuses on how these variables relate to insomnia and sleep satisfaction. Method: A questionnaire focusing on ...

This study was investigated to know whether pachymic acid (PA), one of the predominant triterpenoids in Poria cocos (Hoelen) has the sedative-hypnotic effects, and underlying mechanisms are mediated via γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic systems. Oral administration of PA markedly suppressed locomotion activity in mice. This compound also prolonged sleeping time, and reduced sleep latency showing...