Hypericum scruglii Bacch., Brullo & Salmeri, a Potential Natural Remedy for Fibromyalgia: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder of central pain processing marked by widespread chronic pain together with fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and depressive episodes. Tested treatments have expressed limited efficacy. Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathology of FM, while multiple neurotransmitters are involved in this syndrome. Antidepressants are used as conventional treatment, especially those with double action on serotonin and norepinephrine that leads to an increased risk of a manic switch. It should be noted that fibromyalgia is high-frequency comorbidity in bipolar disorder. This narrative review, given the limited literature, consisted of animal and in vitro studies, which aims to highlight the positive aspects of Hypericum scruglii as a potential remedy against FM. Many in vitro and clinical studies confirm the Hypericum genus as a natural antidepressant resource. The use of Hypericum derivatives in various acute and chronic diseases has been known for a long time. It is reported that the phloroglucinol derivatives from Hypericum longistylum improve and accelerate the differentiation of neural progenitor cells. The advantage of Hypericum scruglii is that it owns greater antioxidant potential than other species of the Hypericum genus. Suggestions for improving the oral bioavailability of very poor water-soluble molecules of hypericum extracts are also described in this paper.