St Johns Wort and Depression


The bright yellow flower of the St Johns Wort (hypericum perforatum) with it's ray-like petals, represents the power of the sun that forces away the darkness. This already points to the anti-depressant effects of the St Johns Wort which are highly respected, even in conventional medicine.

St. John's Wort, a perennial plant, has been used for hundreds of years to treat depression, unrest and anxiety disorders as well as nerve pain. For a long time, doctors and herbalists alike have known about its use as a sedative, but also as treatment for wounds, burns, insect bites, stomach ulcers and more. It is still used widely today and it's effectiveness has been proven to a point where some insurance companies are now covering the treatment.

It is not a powerful drug -- when used to treat depression -- in the sense of bringing a quick recovery, but shows excellent long term results in many patients. The herb assists body and soul in the healing process and helps to build a solid foundation for a complete recovery.

St John's Wort was tested in a double-blind study of 105 male and female patients in the 20 to 64 year age group, suffering from mild to moderate depression. They were divided into two groups and monitored over a period of four weeks. One group were given 300mg of St Johns Wort extract three times daily, and the other received a placebo. All of the patients had psychiatric evaluations before the start of the study and after four weeks of treatment. The results revealed that, 67% of the St Johns Wort group had responded positively to the treatment without any adverse side effects whereas only 28% of the placebo group showed any signs of improvement.

St Johns Wort is available as tea (flowers and leaves), liquid extracts and pills or capsules. It is normally taken thrice daily and it will take one week or more to notice any improvement in the condition. Treatment can be continued for long periods of time as the herb does not normally produce any side effects. But St Johns Wort can interact strongly with other medication e.g. cancer and HIV drugs, contraceptive pills and others. So it is vitally important to consult a medical specialist first before starting a course of treatment.

One effect of St Johns Wort is, that it makes the skin more sensitive to light. It is therefore important to keep out of the sun as much as possible while using the herb.

There is growing evidence to suggest that St. Johns Wort is a safe and effective, natural remedy for the treatment of mild to medium depression.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. It cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment.

Mireille Gautschi is a qualified Flower Essence Therapist and Herbalist who has many years experience with the developement of natural herbal remedies. Her products can be found on the Hillside Herbal Products website that also offers a very informative newsletter.


MORE RESOURCES:

Fox News

Missouri teen killer had troubled family, depression
Fox News
Abandoned by her mother and missing a father in prison, Alyssa Bustamante had plunged to the depths of depression before, once overdosing on a large bottle of painkillers, slicing her skin hundreds of times and carving the word "hate" in her arm.

and more »


Surprising drug for severe depression
Asbury Park Press
Q. I participated in two clinical trials of ketamine for depression. The infusion was not pleasant, but a few hours later, my depression was mysteriously lifted. It was as though someone carefully cleaned, polished and rejuvenated every cell in my ...

and more »


ABC30.com

CBS47 Special Report: Fighting Depression
CBS 47
While progress has been made over the years, there is still a stigma attached that makes sufferers of sever depression feel alone. But there is a new treatment available and the results are promising. The new treatment has nothing to do with medication ...
Magnetic therapy for depression promisingUPI.com
A drug-free way to treat depressionABC30.com
Some Depression Patients Find The Effects Of Magnetic Therapy Really StickNY1
Medical Xpress -eMaxHealth
all 8 news articles »


Depression and the Elderly
Huffington Post
The recent death of TV pioneer Don Cornelius underscores the growing problem of depression and suicide among our elderly population. Most people don't expect older adults to take their own lives, but this population has the highest suicide rate of any ...



PsychCentral.com

New Study Fails to Tie Antidepressant to Suicide in Kids
PsychCentral.com
The analysis, based on data from 41 trials and more than 9000 patients, also found that fluoxetine and venlafaxine (marketed as Effexor), reduced suicidal behavior and depression symptoms in adult and geriatric patients. The failure to replicate the ...
Antidepressants May Not Raise Suicide Risk in Youth: StudyHealth.com
Antidepressant-suicide link in youths absent in new analysisMedical Xpress
Study finds antidepressant does not increase risk of suicide for kidsWBEZ
Los Angeles Times
all 20 news articles »


Childhood depression
Mansfield News Journal
Jami Kinton/News Journal MANSFIELD -- Bullying remains a key trigger for adolescent depression, but a local psychiatrist said it is not the biggest problem she deals with among those 13 and older. Debbie Panke, child and adolescent psychiatrist for The ...



Evening Standard

One in four UK children facing multiple risks to development, study finds
Medical Xpress
(Medical Xpress) -- More than one in four UK infants is growing up in families facing multiple challenges such as parental depression and financial hardship that can have a damaging effect on children's development, new research suggests.
Warning over multiple family risksThe Press Association
Educational development: One in four children 'at risk'BBC News
Quarter of children performing poorly due to problems at home, study findsThe Guardian
Nursery World (subscription)
all 187 news articles »


Natural cures for depression
Fox News
Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet One out of every 10 people suffers from depression in the United States, according to estimates. While there are many prescription medications that can alleviate depression symptoms, there are a few natural ...



University of Texas at Austin News

The power of the Internet over depression
University of Texas at Austin News
A number of the older adults to whom she delivered meals suffered from depression and were unable to get help for their illness. They couldn't afford treatment or didn't have transportation to get to a clinic regularly. Namkee Choi, professor in the ...



Study suggests blood test might confirm depression diagnosis
Florida Today
Depression can be a tough condition to diagnose accurately, but new research suggests that someday a blood test might help. It's not clear how much the test might cost, and it needs more stringent validation before it will be ready to be used in ...

and more »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home