Galphimia glauca (sometimes referred to as “galphimia” or “thryallis”) is an herb said to offer a number of health benefits. Extracted from a small evergreen shrub found in Mexico and Central America, galphimia is sometimes prepared as a homeopathic remedy.
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Uses
In traditional Latin American medicine, galphimia has long been used to treat asthma and allergies. Galphimia is also generally used as a treatment for asthma and allergies when prepared as a homeopathic remedy.
In traditional Mexican medicine, meanwhile, galphimia has long been used to treat mental disorders. In particular, galphimia is thought to alleviate anxiety.
Benefits
To date, research on the health effects of galphimia extract is very limited. Still, there’s some evidence that galphimia extract may be of some use in the treatment of anxiety.
For instance, several animal-based studies have shown that galphimia extract may offer anti-anxiety benefits. In addition, a 2007 study published in Planta Medica indicates that galphimia extract may be useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders. For the study, 152 people with generalized anxiety disorder took either galphimia extract or lorazepam (a commonly used anxiety medication) every day for four weeks. Study results revealed that the anxiety-reducing effect of galphimia extract was similar to that of lorazepam.
Until larger, longer-term clinical trials are conducted, the safety and effectiveness of galphimia extract as an anxiety treatment cannot be determined.
Scientific support for the health effects of homeopathic preparations of galphimia is also fairly limited.
The available research includes an older meta-analysis published in the Austrian journal Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift in 1997. For the meta-analysis, investigators reviewed 11 clinical trials (with a total of 1,038 patients) on the use of homeopathic preparations of galphimia in treatment of hay fever.
Overall, homeopathic preparations of galphimia were found to be superior to placebo in relief of eye-related symptoms (such as itching and watering of the eyes).
There is a lack of more recent data on the potential health benefits of homeopathic galphimia.
Cautions
- Little is known about the safety of using galphimia in the long term. However, there’s some concern that taking galphimia in combination with certain medications (such as central nervous system depressants and blood-thinning drugs) may produce harmful effects.
In addition, homeopathic preparations of galphimia may trigger a number of mild side effects, including fatigue and dry mouth.
Also keep in mind that the safety of supplements in pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and those with medical conditions or who are taking medications has not been established. You can get tips on using supplements here, but always talk with your doctor before taking any kind of supplement.
Interactions
- None are recorded.
Other names
galphimia or thryallis
References
Source: Altmedicine, http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Galphimia.htm