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St. John's wort
Breaking news in Herbal research
It is no secret that St. John's Wort is a common herb used in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. The good news is new research has found that it may also be effective in the treatment of severe depression.
Summary of research
According to a recent study done by Klaus Linde, of the Center for Complementary Medicine Research, Department of Internal Medicine II, Technical University in Munich, Germany, treatments with hypericum extract were found to be much more effective than placebo treatments, and equally as effective as conventional medical treatments with tricyclic antidepressants, but with far fewer side effects. The study, published in the Cochrane Library included 5,489 participants, all of which were suffering from depression ranging from mild, to moderately severe, with two cases of severe (also known as major) depression. In the double-blind study, all participants were randomly assigned either St. John's wort, a placebo or tricyclic antidepressants. Those receiving the herbal extracts were far less likely to drop out due to negative side effects than those given the conventional antidepressants. The study also included a review of 29 prior trials. Researchers are calling this the most thorough study to date on the effects of St. John's wort on depression.
St. John's wort
Hypericum perforatum, commonly called St. John's wort, is an herbal medicine that has been used to treat depression since the 1500's. In the past few decades it is been introduced into mainstream medical circles in many countries. Of note, in Germany St. John's wort is prescribed by physicians four times as much as conventional antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. Study after study found that the herbal extract was as effective as the more commonly prescribed counterparts, but with fewer negative side effects. Up until this last study, researchers had not found enough conclusive evidence to recommend it for treatment of major depression. However, that may be changing in light of this most recent report.
How is it used?
As an herbal supplement St. John's wort can most commonly be found in capsules or tablets, but some suppliers sell teas, tinctures and even the whole herb. As herbs are not regulated by the FDA, there are a variety of preparations and range of quality in herbal extracts.
As always, speak with your physician or healthcare practitioner before trying a new herb or supplement. Never discontinue taking any prescribed medication without your doctor's approval. If you are interested in trying St. John's wort for depression, but are not sure how your doctor will respond to non-conventional treatments, bring a copy of the study on this herb from the Cochrane Library. Let him or her know your interest, and never hesitate to seek a second opinion.
Other articles on St. John's wort:
Scientific validation of herbal medicine
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