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| St. John's Wort took center stage as an anti-depressant in 1997, when it was spotlighted in Newsweek and later on 20/20. Named after St. John the Baptist, the flower has red spots symbolizing the blood spilled by St. John as he was beheaded.
The media hoopla that St. John's Wort received was based upon a paper published in the British Medical Journal entitled, "St. John's Wort for depression–an overview and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials." This paper reviewed 23 studies conducted world-wide and their results. In this review, which included over 1700 patients, 15 of the studies were double-blind tests comparing St. John's Wort to a placebo, and the other 8 were studies that compared St. John's Wort to antidepressant drugs. The conclusion: St. John's Wort was more effective than the placebo and as effective as the drugs–with significantly fewer side effects.
St. John's Wort has been shown effective in the treatment of the following mild to moderate forms of depression: stress, dysthymia, premenstrual syndrome, chronic pain disorders, seasonal affective disorders, manic depression, and postpartum depression. Of course, those who are severely depressed should see a doctor.
Although most scientists agree that the active ingredient of St. John's Wort is hypericin, they are less clear on how it works. Animal studies indicate that hypericin inhibits the re-uptake of serotonin, and in this way is similar to the drugs Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. It may also inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which degrades many brain chemicals including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. In this way it is similar to the drug selegeline. The good news is that hypericin, unlike some antidepressant drugs, does not seem to decrease libido.
Because the mechanisms of St. John's Wort may be similar to these well-known antidepressant drugs, it is important that persons taking these drugs should consult their doctor before using St. John's Wort.
Copyright (c) 2001 by Chip Engelmann
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