Hemerocallis citrina: Stress Relief and Mood Enhancement?

Hemerocallis citrina is a flowering plant commonly known as long yellow daylily and citron daylily. The flowers, tubers and buds of the plant can be eaten, and the flowers are used in traditional Chinese medicine. .Extracts of the flowers are used to elevate mood and induce sleep, suggesting that the plant contains phytochemicals that can affect the nervous system. One suggestion is that it is the phenolic compounds in the flowers that confer these effects. Studies have investigated the antidepressant effects of Hemerocallis citrina flower extracts on animals to assess their efficacy. One study showed that extracts of Hemerocallis citrina were significantly effective at reducing depressive-like symptoms in rats and were effective at raising brain levels of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. Oxidative stress was also reduced by the Hemerocallis citrina extract and there was a reversal of stress induced changes such as elevated corticosterone levels and depressed levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor. 

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Xu, P., Wang, K. Z., Lu, C., Dong, L. M., Le Zhai, J., Liao, Y. H., Aibai, S. and Liu, X. M. 2016. Antidepressant-like effects and cognitive enhancement of the total phenols extract of Hemerocallis citrina Baroni in chronic unpredictable mild stress rats and its related mechanism. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 194, 819-826

About Robert Barrington

Robert Barrington is a writer, nutritionist, lecturer and philosopher.
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