Does st john's wort inhibit absorption of minerals including iron?

Question

I read that this is the case. Is it true?To what degree does it occur? Is it enough to supplement with minerals and iron in a multi? Does taking that multi a certain amount of time away from the SJW dose increase chances of absorption. I tend to be anemic so this worries me a bit. Thanks alot

Answer 1

From the reading I did on it I saw no evidence that it complexes with Fe in any way.

ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Wort
ref: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/

But I did find this about pregnant women:

Limited research has been done on women who are pregnant; however, there is some evidence from animal studies that St. John's Wort increases uterine muscle tone, thereby leading to a possible increased risk of premature labor. It has also been suggested that hypericum contains tannic acid, which may interfere with iron absorption. Iron is important for a mother and fetus during pregnancy. Until more is known, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need to avoid taking St. John's Wort.

ref: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1348.html

But I really don't think this has anything to do with normal anemia, so I think the answer to you question is NO.

Answer 2

Hi dani. I just did a search of the world's medical research on Pubmed/medline. There were no studies listed about St. John's Wort and mineral absorption. So... whatever the source you read, must provide scientific evidence to support their position.

A QUALITY multi-vitamin/mineral supplement can be a good source of most minerals (usually not enough calcium though). However, most multi's (e.g. Centrum, One-A-Day, etc.) are CHEAP and therefore contain unabsorbable forms of minerals such as oxides.

Best wishes.