Does St Johns Wort actually work for mild anxiety/depression?

Answer 1

In Europe, results from a number of scientific studies have supported the effectiveness of certain St. John's wort extracts for depression. An overview of 23 clinical studies found that the herb might be useful in cases of mild to moderate depression. The studies, which included 1,757 outpatients, reported that St. John's wort was more effective than a placebo (here, a "dummy" pill designed to have no effect) and appeared to produce fewer side effects than some standard antidepressants (Linde et al. British Medical Journal, 1996).

Other studies conducted recently have found no benefit from the use of St. John's wort for certain types of depression. For example, the results of a study funded by Pfizer Inc., a pharmaceutical company, found that St. John's wort, when compared with placebo, was not effective for treating major depression (Shelton et al. JAMA, 2001).

In addition, several components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)--NCCAM, the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)--funded a large, carefully designed research study to find out whether St. John's wort extract benefits people with major depression of moderate severity. This clinical trial (a research study in people) found that St. John's wort was no more effective for treating major depression of moderate severity than placebo (Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group. JAMA, 2002; for further information, view the press release online at nccam.nih.gov/news/2002 or contact the NCCAM Clearinghouse

Answer 2

I know a number of people who swear by the use of St Johns Wort for mild anxiety/depression and have been surprised by its efficacy. However, I have a vague memory that it may not be advisable in some circumstances and may interact negatively with other types of medication and for this reason it is sensible to consult ones GP before using St Johns Wort. Many GPs now accept that complementary medicines are part of a holistic approach to healthcare.

Answer 3

I have used it and it works for me. Instead of changing my mood, it just seemed to make me calmer and everything more pleasent and easier to deal with. It has a very mild effect and although the happy semi-zombie state is much better than sadness, i recommend trying to treat the cause of the depression and not staying on any anti-depressent for too long. I found, however, that once i was taking it it was much easier to sort out my problems and make myself happy. I wish you all the best, i know this is hard but st johns wort does help a little bit. x

Answer 4

Be careful taking St Johns Wort - it helps depression but can make your anxiety worse. Same for Sam-e.

Answer 5

St Johns Wort can work but you have help yourself along by trying to go for walks, get out of the house, etc.

Taking this root, you do have to be careful of some foods and note that it can make your skin photo sensitive meaning...careful of the sun.

Answer 6

I have found that Mood Plus"Sam-e" works better. It also helps with joint pain and liver health. It helps me to feel happy and energetic throughout the day. It is over the counter and can be found at your local drug store. St Johns Wort never worked for me.

Answer 7

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 8

I told my doctor once that I was taking it (my daughter had leukaemia) & I was told to stop taking it straight away, this was because it reduced my protection with the contraceptive pill. I never really found much of a difference in my moods while I took it.
So he suggested I try Prozac - which I didn't really want to & become hooked on them for years.
So In the end I discovered that if I talked about my fears/depression I felt so much better. Thankfully, I never had to try any other methods for the depression.

Answer 9

When I took it, it worked fine for about 6 months and then all of the sudden didn't work anymore. Never really helped with the anxiety.

Answer 10

It definately does NOT work for anxiety. I really don't think very much of it, but in some locales its used with some frequency and apparently with some degree of relevance as an antidepressant