St. John's Wort

You can purchase St. John's Wart by Clicking on this drugstore.com Icon

A couple of nights ago on 20/20 I watched a news report on St. John's Wart. It seems that those in the know are more than excited about the results of studies and research connected with this herb.

It grows wild in the west and has been used for thousands of years by many cultures before being adopted in Europe where is has been out selling Prozac 20 to 1 over the years. It's Latin name is Hypericum.

It has few side effects, (unlike Prozac), (The Natural Prozac Program: How to Use St. Johns Wort, the Antidepressant Herb) which make it even more exciting for those who suffer with mild to moderate depression. I contacted a homeopathic friend of mine in New Zealand who uses it in her practice. She warned that the only side effects she was aware of was that if it was used in excess, it would produce painful skin and a sensitivity to the sun. Otherwise, there were none of the troubling side effects of the pharmaceuticals like Zoloft and Prozac.

It was mentioned in the broadcast that the price was 1/4 that of the anti-depressants prescribed by physicians. To verify that we rushed out to Wal-Mart, where we bought all the St. John's Wart of the shelf-- all two of them. There were three empty shelves where the St. John's Wart should have been. Looks like this may go the way of the melatonin. We may be seeing short supplies for a while. The price was around $8-$9 for a bottle of 60 capsules. it was suggested that it be taken 2 three times per day. Even at that it would only cost $25.00 for a month supply. No prescription is needed to purchase it.

Dr. Bloomfield, who wrote the book, Hypericum & Depression, was the featured speaker in the broadcast. He expects to see nearly 2/3 of the 18 million people who are now taking traditional anti-depressants changing over to the St. John's Wart. He stated that 1/3 of the 18 million, who make up the severely depressed, would like still have to continue their traditional medications.

It works by naturally raising the level of serotonin in the brain but slower than the prescription medications because it is natural. It can take up to twelve weeks for it to be at a level that provides consistent relief from depression. Remember that if you are taking prescribed anti-depressants, you will need to wait for a few months after stopping these medications to begin to use St. John's Wort. Talk to your doctor about this important issue.

Additional reading material: Serotonin Solution , How To Heal Depression

Additional books on Depression and Herbal Medicines