Does anyone have a link for the latest research on St. John's Wort?

Answer 1

According to latest research, Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals' proprietary St. John's Wort extract WS? 5570 is at least as effective and better tolerated than standard treatment with prescription antidepressant paroxetine in the treatment of moderate to severe major depression[1]. The randomised, double-blind, reference-controlled, multicentre Phase III clinical trial investigated the antidepressant efficacy of WS? 5570 and paroxetine in 251 patients with acute major depression and was published online in the British Medical Journal http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/

In the new study, 251 patients with moderate to severe forms of depression were divided into two groups: one receiving 900 mg/day of WS? 5570, and the other 20 mg/day of paroxetine, for six weeks. Any patients not responding after two weeks had their dose doubled at that time. The higher dose was not associated with any relevant increase in adverse events for either drug.

WS? 5570 produced a significantly better improvement in patients as measured by internationally accepted diagnostics such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). When compared to paroxetine, treatment with WS? 5570 shows an average advantage of 3 points for HAMD total score decrease versus baseline.

These results are in line with the findings of another recent clinical trial in 375 patients, showing a significant advantage of WS? 5570 over placebo[3].

"This study shows that WS? 5570 is at least equally effective and much better tolerated than one of the leading synthetic antidepressants" says Prof. A. Szegedi, principal investigator of the study and managing senior physician at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the CharityUniversity medizin Berlin. "WS? 5570 therefore represents a real alternative in the treatment of depression."

Answer 2

As someone who has tried everything, and went into medical research on alternative treatments of depression....this is my take - if you need a MAOI - take the MAOI and leave the herbal stuff on the shelf. I worked in health food store for years, and very few people with significant depression (meaning, more than just the blahs) were ever helped by these. If you insist, try the brand perika by Natures way - that is the pharmaceutical brand sold in Europe. If you have some specific questions, shoot me an email, I might be able to answer them. But truth be told, we dont know how SJW works, and just because something works in a test tube or critter (all the studies I looked at were done on Pig Liver) doesnt mean that it will have that effect on people in the real world. Good luck

Answer 3

Here is the FDA's research: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/stjwort.htm

But I believe that it depends on what product of St. John's wort they used for their study. (if they used the true form or extract, or if they used a capsule with other additives and preservatives).

Answer 4

HYPERICUM PERFORATUM
St. John's-wort
(HYPERICUM)

The great remedy for injuries to nerves, especially of fingers, toes and nails. Crushed fingers, especially tips. Excessive painfulness is a guiding symptom to its use. Prevents lockjaw. Punctured wounds. Relieves pain after operations. Quite supersedes the use of Morphia after operations (Helmuth). Spasms after every injury. Has an important action on the rectum; hæmorrhoids. Coccydynia. Spasmodic asthmatic attacks with changes of weather or before storms, better by copious expectoration. Injured nerves from bites of animals. Tetanus. Neuritis, tingling, burning and numbness. Constant drowsiness.

Mind.--Feels as if lifted high in air, or anxiety lest he fall from heights. Mistakes in writing. Effects of shock. Melancholy.

Head.--Heavy; feels as if touched by an icy cold hand. Throbbing in vertex; worse in close room. Brain seems compressed. Right side of face aches. Brainfag and neurasthenia. Facial neuralgia and toothache of a pulling, tearing character, with sadness. Head feels longer-elongated to a point. In fractured skull, bone splinters. Brain feels alive. Pains in eyes and ears. Falling out of hair.

Stomach.--Craving for wine. Thirst; Nausea. Tongue coated white at base, tip clean. Feeling of lump in stomach (Abies ***; Bry).

Rectum.--Urging, dry, dull, pressing pain. Hæmorrhoids, with pain, bleeding, and tenderness.

Back.--Pain in nape of neck. Pressure over sacrum. Spinal concussion. Coccyx injury from fall, with pain radiating up spine and down limbs. Jerking and twitching of muscles.

Extremities.--Darting pain in shoulders. Pressure along ulnar side of arm. Cramp in calves. Pain in toes and fingers, especially in tips. Crawling in hand and feet. Lancinating pain in upper and lower limbs. Neuritis, with tingling, burning pain, numbness and flossy skin. Joints feel bruised. Hysterical joints. Tetanus (Physost; Kali brom). Traumatic neuralgia and neuritis.

Respiratory.--Asthma worse foggy weather and relieved by profuse perspiration.

Skin.--Hyperidrosis, sweating of scalp, worse in morning after sleep; falling of hair from injury; eczema of hands and face, intense itching, eruption seems to be under the skin. Herpes zoster. Old ulcers or sores in mouth when very sensitive. Lacerated wounds with much prostration from loss of blood.

Modalities.--Worse, in cold; dampness; in a fog; in close room; least exposure; touch. Better, bending head backward.

Relationship.--Compare: Ledum (punched wounds and bites of animals); Arnica; Staphis; Calend; Ruta; Coff.

Antidotes: Ars; Cham.

Dose.--Tincture, to third potency.