A number of studies have shown that citrus extracts might have mood elevating effects in humans and animals. For example, the volatile oils from grapefruit, lemon (Citrus limon), bergamot (Citrus bergamia), lime (Citrus aurantifolia), mandarin (Citrus nobilis) and orange (Citrus aurantium) may be useful in the treatment of anxiety. Grapefruit grows in subtropical regions and can reach heights of 5 m, producing clusters of fruits up to 15 cm in diameter which are used as a food for their acidic bitter taste. However, the leaves of the grapefruit plant may possess medicinal properties and in this respect have been used as a traditional treatment for anxiety. For example, in one study, various leaf extracts of ruby grapefruit plants were created and administered to mice. The mice were then subjected to experimental stress. The grapefruit leaf extracts significantly reduced the anxious behaviour displayed by the mice and this effects was comparable to the benzodiazepine drug diazepam.
In another study, researcher investigated the mood elevating effects of grapefruit leaf extracts in mice. The mice received various doses of grapefruit leaf extract and then were exposed to conditions designed to induce experimental stress. The results of the study showed that administration of grapefruit extract significantly decreased the depressive and anxious symptoms experienced by the mice, suggesting that the the extracts had conferred antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects on the mice. Similar results were obtained from another study that examined the effects of leaf extracts on the mood of mice. In this respect, higher doses of the leaf extract from grapefruit were similar in their anxiolytic effects when compared to the benzodiazepine drug diazepam. Therefore extract of the leaves of grapefruit may possess significant anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in animals. This effect likely relates to the phytochemistry of the plant, and may therefore differ slightly between grapefruit varieties.
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