Posted by Larry Hoover on February 26, 2003, at 8:42:03
In reply to What is St Johns wort???, posted by Tepiaca on February 25, 2003, at 13:24:18
> What kind of medicine is this ?
St. John's wort is an herb, species name Hypericum perforatum. The flowering tops (ideally) are collected in early summer (ideally), and processed for use as an antidepressant.
Most commonly, you'll find that SJW is sold as a standardized product. What that means is that a large quantity of the herb is pulverized, and using methanol or ethanol as a solvent, certain chemicals are extracted from the herb (like making tea, sort of). The "tea" is dried, and the amount of these chemicals is quantified (usually hypericin is the chemical measured). Then enough of these chemicals are put into a capsule so that the typical content is 0.3% hypericin in 300 mg of capsule; that means a standard capsule contains 0.9 mg of hypericin. It also contains lots of other chemicals which are themselves soluble in alcohol.
Recently, it's been discovered that there are other psychoactive chemicals in SJW. Some have argued that one of these, hyperforin, is the main active constituent. So, you'll find some products which standardized on both hypericin and hyperforin. One of those products is Perika, marketed by Nature's Way.
I personally believe that there are other active constituents, as well.
Early on, it was believed that SJW acted as an MAOI. Although it does, the experiment that demonstrated that effect used doses nearly 1,000 times what you'd be taking if you used this herb. You needn't worry about that at all.
Recent experiments have demonstrated some SSRI-like effects, but there are other effects which work via mechanisms unlike those seen in any known antidepressant drug. This has led to a vast array of new drugs currently in development, but that's another story.
You'll see numerous articles which suggest that SJW is only worthwhile in mild or moderate depression. The problem is that SJW has not often been tested in more severe depressions. There are European studies which demonstrate that higher doses are indeed effective in severe depression. Just like with any other antidepressant, you need to match the dose to symptoms.
There is no known overdose level for SJW. You can safely take as much as you need. Common side effects include headache and digestive upset, but these usually pass in a few days. In clinical trials, the side effect profile was similar to placebo. Some people become more sensitive to sunlight, but you should use sunscreen anyway, right? BTW, sun tolerance can be increase with B-vitamin supplements (as a redhead who used to burn in 15 minutes, this has been a good thing to learn).
There is one problem with SJW, probably unique to North America. There is no regulation of herbal products, and there is no guarantee that what it says on the label is what you'll get inside. Independent studies over the last decade or so have shown that as many as 1/3 of tested SJW products have little or no active ingredients in the capsules. Although this is fraud, it is not a violation of drug or herb regulations, as there are no applicable statutes. The pharmaceutical industry has actively lobbied against creating regulations of herbal products. Follow the money, and you'll understand why.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:203725
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030224/msgs/203960.html