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The healing properties of St. John’s Wort have long been known. Throughout the ancient world the Greeks used it as a skin balm and it figured prominently in pre-Christian Celtic rituals, both for magical purposes and as a calming agent. Now in the twenty first century St. John’s Wort is still exerting its medicinal qualities as a natural herbal remedy for depression.
This perennial shrub is found throughout Europe and America and, inspite of the controversy that surrounds it, is often the first choice for depressives who do not want to take persciption drugs.
The active ingredient is Hypericum, a substance found throughout the plant, the highest concentrations of which usually occur in the bright, yellow flowers. These are best picked when they are fully open and the sun is shining. If this happens to coincide with the 24th June then so much the better!
Why this particular date? The 24th June is John the Baptist’s feast day from which St. John’s Wort derives its name and flowers picked at this time are said to be particularly potent.
Many people suffering from depression have turned to St. John’s Wort as an alternative to the usual anti-depressive drugs such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft which often cause unpleasant side effects. However, it has to be said that St. John’s Wort can also be guilty in this area.
The main side effect is sensitivity to sunlight and a recent medical study suggests that this could lead to the formation of cataracts if there is continuous exposure to sunlight, so it makes sense to be aware of this and use good quality sunglasses when taking part in high sunlight exposure activities.
Fatigue is another side effect that is sometimes reported, but many people combat this by taking their St. John’s Wort before they go to bed. Stomach upsets, skin rashes, weight gain or loss, palpitations and food allergies have all been cited as side effects of St. John’s Wort, but as studies are few and far between it is difficult to substantiate most of these.
It is worth noting, that pregnant women are not advised to take St. John’s Wort simply because the long term effects on the unborn child are not known. People suffering from depression who are also HIV positive, have heart complaints or any other medical condition should always consult their doctor before taking the herb. Although this all may seem rather daunting, bear in mind that thousands of people happily use the St. John’s Wort on a regular basis without any ill effects whatsoever, but it is as well to be aware of what may happen.
Another point that needs to be kept in mind is that St. John’s Wort should only be used in cases of mild to medium depression. Severe depressives should under no circumstances come off prescription drugs. Even if your condition is less acute, you still need to consult your doctor as St. John’s Wort should not be combined with any other anti-depressive drug.
If you do decide to change from a prescription drug to St. John’s Wort, don’t be surprised if your Doctor greets your request with some sceptism. Not all the medical fraternity feel that this natural herbal, anti-depressant does have any positive value and many are concerned about the largely unknown side effects.
There are signs that this may be about to change however as a recent report published in the September issue of the British Medical Journal points out. According to the journal, researchers at Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus University in Giessen, Germany, ran a trial with more than 300 patients all suffering from mild to moderate depression. Patients were chosen at random to take either St. John's wort extract or Tofranil, a popular anti-depressant drug, for six weeks.
Throughout this period, they were asked about their depressive symptoms and any side effects. Both groups reported improvement in depression. However, only 39% of patients taking St. John's Wort experienced side effects such as dry mouth, sweating and dizziness compared to 63 % of those taking Trofranil. Only 3% of the patients stopped taking St. John’s Wort due to these side effects compared to 16% of those who gave up after taking Trofranil.
The researchers concluded that there was growing evidence to suggest that St. John’s Wort was a safe and effective remedy for mild to medium depression.
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