How can medicinal herbs be utilized to create equitable and effective alternatives to current pharmaceutical drugs that are used to treat anxiety and depression?

Millions of people across the United States suffer from anxiety and depression. There is a narrow range of pharmaceutical drugs that patients are prescribed, many of them producing serious side effects and being inefficient economically. However, pharmaceutical agents are not the only option; herbal medicines have been used for thousands of years to treat physical and mental ailments. Yet, the investigation of herbal medicine has not been prioritized in the treatment for anxiety and depression. The research in this essay outlines the beneficial qualities of using herbal medicine as a treatment for mental health illness rather than synthetically created medicines. Specifically, a comparison of three categories of pharmaceutical drugs and their herbal counterparts are evaluated by their efficacy, side-effects, and a cost-benefit analysis. Exploring the usage of herbal medicines as potential alternatives leads to more diversified, accessible, and beneficial options to treat mental illnesses.