Use of Herbal Medicine to Treat Drug Addiction

Abstract

The treatment of drug addiction is complicated, and most of the available approaches are ineffective, either pharmacological or no pharmacological. The use of alternative therapies is an option as a primary or complementary treatment and has grown as a result of the failure of classical pharmacological approaches using synthetic drugs. The interest about use and research of plants for drug addiction treatment has increased in recent years, reflected by the increasing number of publications evaluating the effects of crude extracts, active principles, and plant associations on the treatment of addiction. This chapter discusses the main plants with scientific support for the treatment of drug addiction: iboga (Tabernanthe iboga), kudzu (Pueraria lobata), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis), Chinese sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza), ginseng (Panax ginseng), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and also some hallucinogens possibly useful to treat drug addiction.