Naturally Occurring GABAB Receptor Ligands

The present chapter provides an overview of the multiple medicinal plants whose extracts and/or active ingredients exert specific pharmacological effects via the GABAB receptor. Solid experimental data are reported for the medicinal plants, Bupleurum falcatum, Withania somnifera, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Valeriana officinalis, and Passiflora incarnata, with preliminary, although intriguing, data relating to several other plants. Medicinal plants may thus represent a valuable source of new GABAB receptor agonists, antagonists, and allosteric modulators. In addition to the identification of new GABAB receptor ligands, research in this field may contribute toward clarifying the pharmacological bases underlying the traditional use of these herbal remedies as well as suggest their use for new therapeutic purposes.