Does St Johns Wort really work for stress and depression?

Question

To what extent? Is it very helpful for someone who has bipolar in the family and does not want to take antidepressants?

Answer 1

st johns wort works similar to an MAOI. it works for many people but there are considerations you need to consider. it can cause photosensitivity so you will want to wear sunscreen out in the sun and also it triggers a protein in the body that can cause the faster excretion of some medications. So if you are on a prescription medication that you need to take you will want to consult your pharmacist to make sure there isn't an interaction. also the below website says "St John's Wort, or hypericum, is a popular herbal remedy for mild to moderate depression. However, just because something is "natural" does not mean it is totally safe to use. In the case of bipolar patients, St. John's Wort can induce mania just like prescription antidepressant medications. Moreover, it can interact with some other common drugs, rendering them significantly less effective or inducing other dangerous side effects. ALWAYS check with your doctor before taking any herbal or nutritional remedy on a regular basis, particularly if you are on other prescription medications. "

Answer 2

Dear Miloicream,

Following, is a link, to one of many journal articles on the subject:

http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/44/4/271

According to the article it does work. However, there are a number of cautions. I recommend you read the article, prior to trying it.

Following is a link where you can find many more journal articles on St John's Wort:

http://highwire.stanford.edu/

An alternative, to St John's Wort, may be as simple as vitamin B6. It is necessary for the production of serotonin, along with tryptophan. Consider, taking a B-complex for about a week, and see if your dream recall improves. If it doesn't, take 50 mg of B6, in addition to the B-complex, an hour before you go to bed. The next step, would be taking some tryptophan with the B6.

Stress, has been shown to increase a dietary need for B6. If you are operating on marginal B6, in your diet, serotonin bio-synthesis may suffer, resulting in depression. Dream recall, is an indicator of serotonin levels, during REM sleep.

Larry

Answer 3

I think it would depend on how bad the depression is. My mom insisted St Johns Wort worked for her, but I didn't think it made any difference for me at all. But then again, my depression is bad enough that I need a real medication (Cymbalta) to help, but for my mom, her's was just a very very minor case.

Answer 4

I have bipolar and I find that meds from the doctors get me manic and so I can't take them for deppresssion. St Johns Wort in the number one prescibed anti deppresent in the UK.

It works for me and apperently 80% of people who take it. IT takes a few weeks to kick in. I would try it if you can afford it. It doesn't get you high (manic) and has no side effects.

Answer 5

It can work very well for some people and not as well for others. I would do more research to find out what kind of side effects are most common.
You can take tryptophan pills (the chemical found in turkey). It's a precurser to serotonin and many people find this effective with little side effects.
Good luck, hope you start feeling better soon!