Exploring the Role of Single Herbs in the Management of Hypothyroidism: A Rapid Review of In Vivo Studies

Export Objective: Hypothyroidism is characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone production, leading to various metabolic and physiological disruptions. Although conventional treatment relies on synthetic hormones, concerns over lifelong dependence, adverse effects, and reduced quality of life have spurred interest in traditional medicine as complementary or alternative approaches. The present review has been planned to assess the potential efficacy of single herbs in modulating thyroid hormone levels and improving thyroid function in experimental models of hypothyroidism, and to explore their potential as an alternative or complementary treatment to conventional thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Data Source: The PubMed database was searched for in vivo studies evaluating the effects of single herbs on hypothyroidism. Review Methods: A search was conducted on Google Scholar and PubMed, focusing on in vivo studies of single herbs having reported efficacy on hypothyroidism. The results from Google Scholar were further searched on PubMed, and studies selected for the review were based exclusively on PubMed. Results: The search retrieved 8590 articles from Google Scholar using the term “Role of herbal plants in hypothyroidism” of which 17 were considered relevant. Among these, nine were indexed in PubMed. A subsequent PubMed search yielded 54,683 records for “Hypothyroidism” and 44 for “Hypothyroidism AND Herbal drugs,” from which only one study met the inclusion criteria. In total, 10 studies were included for final evaluation. Conclusion: The results revealed that herbal drugs may offer potential benefits in managing hypothyroidism, but the evidence remains inconclusive due to limited focus on their mechanisms of action and necessitates additional investigation.