St. John's wort is currently used to treat mild
to moderate depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. It has
been shown to be more effective than antidepressants generally
prescribed for mild to moderate depression.
In some enlightened countries like Germany, the sale of St
John's Wort has outstripped many of the major prescription
anti-depressants
There have been several dozen studies looking at the effectiveness
of St. John's Wort. The British Medical Journal recently conducted
a study of 23 randomized trials involving over 1,700 patients.
The patients had mild to moderate depression. St. John's wort
was just as effective as standard antidepressants. However,
none of the studies exceeded 12 weeks in duration making them
less than ideal. Fifty percent of patients taking St. John's
wort improved with respect to their depression as opposed
to only 23 percent of patients that were taking placebo.
More recently, there have been a number of clinical studies
that have demonstrated that standardized extracts of Hypericum
are more effective than a placebo in the treatment of depression.
Active ingredients include glycosides, flavonoids, volatile
oils, tannins and resins. The active ingredients in Hypericum
are thought to boost serotonin levels, which are usually lacking
in depressed people. In several studies, St. John's wort was
more effective than standard antidepressants for mild to moderate
depression.
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