Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(4), October 2007, pp. 668-677 A clinical study on the management of anxiety neurosis with Sankhaholi Yasmeen Shamsi 1 *, Jameel Ahmad 2 & Asim Ali Khan 2 1 Department of Kulliyat, Faculty of Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062; 2 Department of Moalijat, Faculty of Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi110062 E-mail: yasmeenshamsi@yahoo.co.in Received 7 November 2005; revised 22 February 2006 Sankhaholi (Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.) has been used to improve brain power, memory and to treat various psychiatric disorders. A single blind, placebo controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Sankhaholi in 60 patients of Anxiety neurosis, belonging to 18-50 yrs of age group of both sexes. The severity of anxiety symptoms was assessed by Hamilton’s Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), which was administered at baseline, at every week for 4 weeks, and then at 6 th week of treatment (the treatment end point). In Drug group, the mean HARS score before treatment was 22.26, which was trimmed down to 12.21 after 6 weeks treatment. Whereas, in placebo group, pre-treatment mean HARS score was 23.78 and post treatment HARS score were 24.07. Sankhaholi markedly relieved anxiety symptoms without producing any side effects. Statistically the results of Sankhaholi were determined highly significant as compared to the results of placebo. Keywords: Anxiety neurosis, Psychiatric disorders, Anxiolytic activity, Sankhaholi, Unani medicine, Nafsiyati amraz IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K36/00, A61P25/00, A61P25/08, A61P25/14, A61P25/18, A61P25/20 Anxiety disorders are most common of all psychiatric disorders throughout the world 1-3 . The phenomenon of anxiety is not new; the description of anxiety disorders in classical literature of Unani medicine is available, but in separate expressions as Malikholia (melancholia), Junoon (insanity), Bedari (insomnia) and Khafqaan (palpitation) 4 . Conventional treatments for anxiety in Allopathic System of Medicine include the benzodiazepines, antidepressants and buspirone in low doses. All these three categories of drugs are associated with certain disadvantages as well. For example, benzodiazepines cause sedation, impaired psychomotor performance and drug dependence. Antidepressants are somehow associated with sedation, anticholinergic and/or other adverse effects. Buspirone and antidepressants may both produce initial worsening of anxiety symptoms 5 . In Unani System of Medicine, several drugs have been reported to have beneficial effects in psychiatric (mental) disorders. The herbal drug, Sankhaholi (Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.), as described in Unani literature, holds Musakkin-e-asab (tranquilizing), Muqawwi-e- asab (nervine tonic) and Mufarreh (alexiteric) activities 4,6 . As a brain and cardiac tonic, it has been effectively used by the Unani physicians to manage the symptoms of psychiatric ailments such as Malikholia (melancholia), Junoon (insanity), Bedari (insomnia) and Khafqaan (palpitation) 4-9 . Keeping in view the high prevalence rates of anxiety neurosis and the side effects of the conventional anxiolytic therapies used in Allopathic System of Medicine, it was intended to discover safer and effective treatment of anxiety neurosis. The word anxiety has been derived from a German word angst meaning sense of dread and loss, and also from a Latin word anxietas meaning nervous restlessness, and from a Greek word meaning to constrict 10 . The term anxiety is used to describe the feelings of uncertainty, uneasiness, and apprehension or tension that a person experiences in response to internal or external stimuli and can result in physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral symptoms 11 . Anxiety neurosis, also entitled, as generalized anxiety disorder is a neurotic disorder characterized by persistent excessive anxiety, which is not caused by organic brain disease or any other psychiatric disorder. The symptoms range from mild feelings of fatigue, apprehension, and tension to more intense states of restlessness and irritability that may lead to aggressive acts. In extreme cases, the uncontrollable emotional discomfort is accompanied by physical reactions including tremors, sustained muscle tension, tachycardia, dyspnoea, hypertension, increased respiration and profuse perspiration. Other physical ___________ *Corresponding author