Herbal & Plant

St John’s Wort is a plant named after John the Baptist whose feast day of June 24^th coincides with the time when the yellow flower of the plant is in full bloom. 

 

St John’s Wort has been used traditionally as an anti-depressive for centuries, and has now gained popularity on a worldwide basis for this use. In Germany for instance, St John’s Wort is used to treat depression more than all other drug anti-depresssants combined.

Yes, St Johns Wort has been extensively studied and there is now a solid base of evidence. In a recent study which reviewed 22 trials on the effectiveness of St Johns Wort it was concluded:

- St Johns Wort caused a significant reduction in symptoms of mild to moderate depressive disorder. 

- St Johns Wort appeared to be as good but not better than some of the more mild anti-depressive drugs.

Although St John’s wort seems to be very well tolerated by most people, some individuals may experience headaches and restlessness.

Probably of greater importance is that St John’s Wort is known to interact with a number of drugs by accelerating their clearance from the body so making them potentially less effective. These include digoxin, warfarin, oral contraceptives, theophylline, cyclosporin and medicines for epilepsy, migraine, depression and HIV. If you are under any of these types of medication then see your pharmacist for advice.

St Johns Wort is normally sold as an extract, which contains between 900 and 1000mcg of the active ingredient hypericin per daily dose. This level of intake of St Johns Wort should deliver the intended benefit although a period of supplementation of up to three months may be required to observed these effects.

Anyone who suffers from mild depression on a reasonably regular basis should consider using St John’s Wort. Also, anyone who suffers from PMS or is passing through the menopause where depressive symptoms are prominent should also consider St Johns Wort.