The psychobiology laboratory in Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center focuses on developing plant-based medicines for anxiety and depression.
The conventional medicines that exist today such as Prozac and Cipralex begin to be effective a few weeks after taking them, and sometimes have side effects such as weight gain and reduced libido and sexual functioning. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for new treatments with fewer side effects.
In the framework of the research in the laboratory, we have found in recent years medicinal plants and nutritional supplements that act optimally and quickly on anxiety disorders and depression, without side effects. The influence of medicinal plants has been examined in behavioral models in animals, researched for its effect on brain mechanisms and found to be effective.
In addition, the research deals with developing a model for examining the behavioral and brain influences of premature babies, examining the influence of cannabis on memory at different ages and testing plant-based medicines for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer.