Salvadora persica is commonly called miswak or the mustard tree. The plant contains a range of phytochemicals that may contribute to its medicinal effects. Experimental models using animals suggest that miswak may have mood elevating effects. For example, in one study researchers exposed rats to experimental stress in the form of cigarette smoke that increased the anxious and depressive behaviour in the rats. This was accompanied by an increase in brain weight and the enzyme monoamine A levels in the brain, an indication that stress had negatively affected the animals. However, when rats were treated with miswak, these effects were ameliorated, suggesting that the extracts conferred significant antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. Monoamine A levels also returned to normal with miswak treatment and brain weights remained normal. Therefore miswak may have significant mood elevating effects in animals, and this may prevent deleterious changes to brain chemistry.
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RdB
