What is St John’s wort? NCCIH thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of this publication: Jonathan R.T. Davidson, M.D., Duke University; David Mischoulon, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital; and D. Craig Hopp, Ph.D., and David Shurtleff, Ph.D., NCCIH. St. John’s wort is a herb that was used for the treatment of various health issues predominantly anxiety and depression in Europe. Combining St. John’s wort and certain antidepressants can lead to a potentially life-threatening increase in your body’s levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells. Tricylic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors can produce serious cardiac side-effects, such as tachycardia and postural hypotension, and many unwanted anticholinergic side-effects, including dry mouth and constipation. In fact, a few showed that St. John's wort was as effective as some prescription antidepressants. They aren't regulated the same way as medications are. They may include upset stomach, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, sexual dysfunction, or sensitivity to sunlight. St John's wort is a herbal remedy most often used to treat depression. This is done via the action of hypericin, the active ingredient in St. John’s Wort. It is also referred to as Perforate St. John’s wort or Klamath weed Tipton’s Weed. St. John’s wort was no more effective than placebo in treating major depression of moderate severity, an NCCIH- and NIMH-funded study of 340 participants reported in 2002. Herbs are plant-derived drugs, and therefore they are still “drugs.” Herbal remedies aren't recommended for pregnant women, children, the elderly, or people with certain medical conditions or taking certain medicines. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-what-you-need-to-know/index.shtml, St John’s wort greatly reduces the concentrations of oral oxycodone, The treatment of minor depression with St. John’s wort or citalopram: failure to show benefit over placebo. St. John’s wort should not be taken with 5-HTP, another popular supplement for depression, anxiety, and insomnia. One meta-analysis looked at the combined results of 37 published trials and concurred that St John's wort is as effective as prescribed antidepressants for the treatment of mild depression . Mania and psychosis associated with St. John’s wort and ginseng. According to several of these studies, St. John’s wort may be more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), and as effective as prescription antidepressants, in treating mild depression. Söderberg Löfdal KC, Andersson ML, Gustafsson LL. While St. John’s Wort is most often used to treat depression, you can try it out for other conditions. Tricylic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors can produce serious cardiac side-effects, such as tachycardia and postural hypotension, and many unwanted anticholinergic side-effects, including dry mouth and constipation. It is a kind of flowery shrub bears yellow colored flowers that have oval and elongated petals. St John's wort is as effective as prescribed antidepressants for the treatment of mild depression. Although there are many definitions of depression, the following should be sufficient. Bottom Line – St. John’s Wort vs 5-HTP. Mild depression and anxiety are an occasional part of living. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? Talk to your doctor about all the medications you take. Nieminen TH, Hagelberg NM, Saari TI, et al. St. John’s Wort’s Interactions With Supplements. St. John's Wort: The Good. What do we know about the safety of St. John’s wort for depression? Feeling sad or anxious often or all the time, Not wanting to do activities that used to be fun, Feeling irritable‚ easily frustrated‚ or restless, Having problems with sleep and feeling tired, Eating more or less than usual or having no appetite, Experiencing pain that doesn’t improve with treatment, Having trouble concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions. Gurley BJ, Fifer EK, Gardner Z. Pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions (part 2): drug interactions involving popular botanical dietary supplements and their clinical relevance. 5. A few clinical trials have demonstrated that St. John's Wort can effectively reduce the symptoms of mild depression. St. John’s wort has been tested a number of conditions, with varying results. I started seeing the benefits of St. John’s after a few weeks. Key Facts —St. Many studies have evaluated the effectiveness of St. John's wort. St. John’s wort uses also include improving mood in people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs during the winter months because of lack of sunlight. St. John's wort (SJW) has a beautiful flower, but could it be dangerous for bipolar disorder sufferers? Historically, St. John’s wort has been used for a variety of conditions, including kidney and lung ailments, insomnia, and depression, and to aid wound healing. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases. St. John’s wort limits the effectiveness of many prescription medicines. Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. It should not be mixed with hundreds of medications, certain herbal remedies, and even some foods. A meta-analysis of all of the clinical trials to date was conducted in 2008 by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international team of medical researchers which reviews clinical research and makes evidence-based recommendations (1). Your health care provider can advise you. For more information, see the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Web page about St. John’s wort. Is it effective? Herbs are wonderful allies for holistically addressing postpartum depression. All rights reserved. We have little safety information on St. John’s wort for pregnant women or children. So, Can St. John’s Wort Help Anxiety And Depression? St. john's wort has an average rating of 7.9 out of 10 from a total of 95 ratings for the treatment of Depression. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. Some people with those symptoms may also have anxiety. It is scientifically called Hypericum perforatum. But two large studies, one sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), showed that the herb wasn't more effective than a placebo in treating moderately severe major depression. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). St. John’s Wort as Treatment for Depression. In a 26-week clinical trial with 124 participants, St. John’s wort, a standard antidepressant (sertraline, an SSRI), and a placebo were similarly effective in treating major depression of moderate severity. In Germany, St. John’s Wort in supplement form is often used to treat mild depression, especially in children and adolescents. St. John’s wort is an herbal extract that has a large body of research supporting its use for treating depression. By Helen Marshall, BPharm, MRPharmS and Anna Bonet Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH. St John’s Wort is one of the most popular herbal supplements for depression and anxiety. Since depression affects millions of Americans, this is an important question. St. John’s wort isn’t consistently effective for depression. We have reviewed 29 studies in 5489 patients with depression that compared treatment with extracts of St. John's wort for 4 to 12 weeks with placebo treatment or standard antidepressants. A 2008 review of 29 international studies suggested that St. John’s wort may be better than a placebo and as effective as different standard prescription antidepressants for major depression of mild to moderate severity. St. John’s Wort is an old home remedy mainly used for depression. Famous people who've struggled with persistent sadness. You should be alert for any of the following effects: Don't combine St John's wort and prescription antidepressants such as SSRIs. Research from National Institutes of Health shows that St. John's wort may reduce the effectiveness of several drugs, including birth control pills, drugs used to prevent organ transplant rejections, and some heart disease medications. Only buy products that list the herb's common and scientific name, the name and address of the manufacturer, a batch and lot number, expiration date, dosage guidelines, and potential side effects. Do not use St. John’s wort to replace conventional care or to postpone seeing your health care provider. St John's wort is a herbal remedy that has been used for hundreds of years to treat mental health problems. (St John's wort works best if taken twice a day.) This is one possible dosage regime. But the evidence is conflicting. Is St. John’s Wort a valid alternative medicine for anxiety and depression? 1. It has been used for medicinal purposes in other parts of the world for thousands of years. What is St John’s wort? SAD is usually treated with light therapy, and there is some evidence that using St. John’s wort together with phototherapy works even better as a way to beat the winter blues. Millions of people have tried St. John's wort, an herbal remedy, as an alternative or natural treatment for depression. CDC health information   NIH research information. In the first week take 300 mg every night. John’s wort may help some types of depression, similar to treatm ent with standard prescription antidepressants, but the evidence is not definitive. St. John's Wort Whips Depression Munich & San Antonio -- Depression is a common disorder worldwide. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. Named for St. John the Baptist (because it blooms around the day of his feast), St. John's wort is continually being studied to try to demonstrate its alleged benefits. The studies conducted in German-speaking countries—where St. John’s wort has a long history of use by medical professionals—reported more positive results than those done in other countries, including the United States. Although there is a stronger mood amplifier available in the nootropic class, St. John’s Wort is reviewed as being quite effective for dealing with anxiety problems associated with depression. ", Harvard Health Publishing: "Going off antidepressants.". This is done via the action of hypericin, the active ingredient in St. John’s Wort. When used appropriately, St. John's wort may be comparable to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Zoloft, and others) in effectiveness and safety for treating depression in adults. Based on its long history as an herbal remedy, St. John’s wort has been examined intensively for its ability to improve the symptoms of depression. So be careful to note how much you're getting. In the third and fourth week, take 300 mg morning and 600 mg evening. Small Business Research Grant Program (SBIR), About Research Training and Career Development, Training Grant Application, Review, and Award Process, Integrative Medicine Research Lecture Series, Division of Extramural Research Sponsored by NCCIH, Division of Intramural Research Conducted at NCCIH, How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed, https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you, Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: systematic review. Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter. The most common dose used in studies has been 300 milligrams, three times a day as a standardized extract. One limitation to the meta-analysis on St. John’s wort is that the authors had each at one point taken money from a supplement manufacturer to speak at health-related conferences (Linde et al., 2008). In 2015, almost 7 percent of U.S. adults had at least one episode of major depression in the past year. It said that scientists had pooled data from 29 studies that compared the effect of the plant Hypericum perforatum to placebos and anti-depressants in treating people with depression. Knüppel L, Linde K. Adverse effects of St. John’s wort: a systematic review. In the fifth week consider increasing the dose to 600 mg twice a day. Joshi KG, Faubion MD. Some may interact with medications you take. Don’t try to treat depression on your own. Preparations in the U.S. have varied amounts in them. In New Zealand St John’s wort is not registered as a medicine but is considered a herbal supplement or complementary medicine. Which brands of herbal products should I use? The plant itself grows yellow star-shaped flowers with 5 petals, and it’s named after John the Baptist. Cytochrome P450-mediated changes in oxycodone pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and their clinical implications. Chen JA, Papakostas GI, Youn SJ, et al. Multiple studies have found St. John's wort helpful for depression. Do not use it to replace conventional care or to postpone seeing your health care provider. Some studies have shown a benefit, but other studies have not. Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. According to several of these studies, St. John’s wort may be more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), and as effective as prescription antidepressants, in treating mild depression. St. John's wort has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid in treating somatization disorder (physical illness or symptoms without a known cause), or hot flashes caused by menopause . St. John’s Wort is the common name for hypericum perforatum, an herbal remedy for the treatment of depression that has become increasingly popular over the past decade in the United States. “The herbal remedy St John’s wort can be as good at lifting depression as drugs like Prozac,” the Daily Express reported. St.John's wort is widely believed to help boost mood and provide some relief from depression. Combining St. John’s wort and certain antidepressants can lead to a potentially life-threatening increase in your body’s levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells. The herb is also being explored for the following health concerns: For example, in most studies, St. John's wort is used at doses of 300 mg three times daily (when the extract was standardized to 0.3 percent hypericin content). Menopausal symptoms. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is considered one of the best Western herbs for mild to moderate depression. National Institute of Mental Health: "Depression. February 1, 2019 February 7, 2019. Look for scientific-based sources of information. A written description is available on my website. 5 Tips: What You Should Know About the Science Behind Depression and Complementary Health Approaches, Depression and Complementary Health Approaches, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. —Combining St. John’s wort with certain antidepressants can lead to a potentially To learn more, see NCCIH’s fact sheet. Conclusions: From the existing literature, St. John's wort appears to be a safe and effective alternative in the treatment of depression. Today it is mainly used as an over-the-counter remedy to treat mild and moderate depression , and sometimes seasonal affective disorder (SAD) , mild anxiety and sleep problems . For instance, some people have periods of depression when they are being treated for cancer, which is a natural reaction, and St. John’s Wort may help. In cases where addressing depression from these angles is insufficient, St. John’s wort and Ashwagandha have very strong evidence and should be considered. There is some scientific evidence that St. John's wort may help treat mild depression, and the benefit seems similar to that of antidepressants. In the second week, take 300 mg twice a day. 77% of those users who reviewed St. john's wort reported a positive effect, while 15% reported a negative effect. 4. ", National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: "St. Johns Wort and Depression. The results of studies on the effectiveness of St. John’s wort for depression are mixed. St. John's wort might prove more effective for milder forms of depression. 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