Abstract
Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) is a perennial flowering plant of the Caprifoliaceae family that grows in the alpine and subalpine meadows in the mountains of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and southwest China, at an altitude of 2500-5000 m. It is known in traditional Chinese medicine as Gan Song or Kan Song, and in Ayurvedic medicine it is called maansi or jataamaansi.
Currently, the spikenard on the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is listed as a critically endangered species. In recent decades the number of plants in the mountains of India has decreased by 80 %.
Spikenard contains a number of biologically active substances, many of which affect the nervous system. In vitro studies and animal experiments have shown its antidepressant, anxiolytic, sedative, neuroprotective, procognitive, and anticonvulsive effects.
However, there is a lack of clinical trials which have to confirm these effects in humans.