Sceletium, Zembrin, has worked very well for me, especially when the Lyme is flaring and I need a bit of an boost of energy too!

Lymerick

Anti-Anxiety Activity of ZembrinŽ Sceletium Extract in Humans

By Heather S. Oliff PhD

Reviewed: Terburg D, Syal S, Rosenberger LA, et al. Acute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamus. Neuropsychopharmacology. August 2013; [epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1038/npp.2013.183.

Sceletium (Sceletium tortuosum, Aizoaceae) is a plant indigenous to South Africa with psychotropic (mood-altering) properties. Preliminary studies suggest that it may help allieviate anxiety and depression. Sceletium has been reported to work by inhibiting serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) reuptake transporters and selectively inhibiting phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) enzyme subtypes in the central nervous system (CNS). These actions may be synergistic. Many conventional pharmaceuticals that treat anxiety and/or depression work on the 5-HT transporter; however, inhibition of PDE4 enzymes would be a new mechanism for psychotherapeutic drugs, and preliminary animal data look promising.

The amygdala is an area of the brain associated with threat detection and regulation of fear and anxiety. Researchers can assess acute anxiety by conducting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain to measure anxiety-related amygdala activation, and the subsequent connectivity of the amygdala with the cortical and/or subcortical threat circuit. Hence, the purpose of this small, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was to evaluate the acute anxiolytic effects of a single dose of sceletium extract during amygdala neurocircuitry stimulation.

SNIP