Herbal Remedies and Depression-St. John's Wort Revisited

I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance about using herbal remedies, particularly the herb, St. John's Wort.

My acquaintance said that he had tried St. John's Wort to treat a mild depression, and found that it did not help. I asked him how long he had tried using the herb, and at what dosage.

His reply was that he did not know the dosage, "It was whatever was in the box." And that he had tried it for almost two weeks.

His comments made me feel that I needed to emphasize here that herbs take time to work. They are generally not as powerful as pharmaceutical drugs, though I believe that they are usually more effective. (Meaning that if you are taking the correct herbal remedy, it will not only treat the symptoms, but also the cause. Too often, pharmaceutical remedies treat only the most obvious symptom, and cause more problems with side effects. And, then you need another drug to deal with the problems caused by the first drug.)

The deeper the condition you are trying to treat with herbal remedies, or the longer it has existed, the longer the herb will take to help your body change. (And, any healing, even with powerful drugs, is done by the body's own healing mechanisms, not by the external substance. The best it can do is encourage the body to heal, or aid the body in fighting an infection.)

I think every person who uses herbal remedies, and every herbal remedy is unique, so it is difficult to give an absolute rule for how long to take a remedy. (If you use a standardized remedy, you reduce the uniqueness of the herb, I wrote a couple posts about standardization on February 2, 2006, and February 3, 2006, if you care to go back and read them.

With that said, I told my acquaintance that he should have been taking 300mg of a standardized preparation 2-3 times daily, and given the herb at least one or two months to begin working.

I have commented that I believe that herbal remedies are often more effective than pharmaceutical drugs. That is my opinion, and should not be taken as medical advice, do not change any prescriptions you are taking without your doctors approval, and do not add herbal remedies to any prescriptions without discussing it with your doctor.

The material presented in this blog is for informational use only and should in no way be used as a substitute for needed medical treatment. I am not a doctor, I do not diagnose or treat disease. If you need medical care, please consult the appropriate medical professional. And please discuss with your doctor if you are taking or planning to take any herbal preparations.





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Herbal Remedies and Depression-Saffron

I read about an interesting study that was done at the University of Tehran, comparing fluoxetine (a pharmaceutical remedy used to treat medication, Prozac is a brand name) and a remedy made from the petals of the Crocus sativus flower.

The stigmas (they look like little orange or yellow threads) of this plant are the spice, saffron; which are very expensive. The petals, on the other hand, are not.

Over an eight week study, researchers found that the improvement rates were roughly equal in both groups. (If you want to read more, there is an abstract of the study available at: Medline Plus

The material presented in this blog is for informational use only and should in no way be used as a substitute for needed medical treatment. I am not a doctor, I do not diagnose or treat disease. If you need medical care, please consult the appropriate medical professional. And please discuss with your doctor if you are taking or planning to take any herbal preparations.





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Herbal Remedies and Depression-St. John's Wort

I mentioned St. John's Wort briefly in an earlier post. I want to add some more information about this herbal remedy today.

It is the most herbal remedy for treating depression, and has been the subject of numerous studies, and been tested against pharmaceutical remedies; it has often worked at least as well as the pharmaceutical drugs in the study, and with fewer side effects.

(One caution, if you are taking any other medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking St. John's Wort, or any other herbal remedy, to be sure there are no interactions between the drug and the herbal remedy.)

This herbal remedy is approved by the German Commission E to treat anxiety and depressive moods. (The German Commission E is the German Regulatory Authority's herbal watchdog agency, which conducted extensive assessments of scientific data about 300 common herbal remedies; they listed the uses for which the herbal remedies may be considered effective. Their conclusions are considered to be the best expert consensus on medicinal herbs currently available.)

St. John's Wort may increase sensitivity to sunlight, especially if there is a past history of photosensitivity (that just means sensitivity to light). For most people, this reaction is dose related, and would require a massive dose, about 8 ounces for someone weighing 150 pounds. The recommended dose is generally in the area of 300-900 mg daily, usually in several doses. Check the dosage recommendations from the manufacturer of any herbal remedy you may take, as different manufacturers produce products of different strengths. It is also a good idea to discuss the appropriate dosage with a professional herbalist, or your doctor or pharmacist.

If you are suffering from depression, I cannot urge you strongly enough to check with your doctor or other qualified health professional to rule out any major health problems.


The material presented in this blog is for informational use only and should in no way be used as a substitute for needed medical treatment. I am not a doctor, I do not diagnose or treat disease. If you need medical care, please consult the appropriate medical professional. And please discuss with your doctor if you are taking or planning to take any herbal preparations.





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Herbal Remedies and Depression

I have been talking about herbal remedies and sleeplessness for the last few days, I want to move to a slightly different topic, depression.

Depression can be a cause of sleeplessness, some of the traditional herbal remedies for depression also affect sleeplessness and insomnia.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression affects nearly 21 million Americans. there are many symptoms of depression, which may include: persistent sad , anxious feelings; hopelessness, worthlessness, helplessness; restlessness or irritability; difficulty concentrating; difficulty making decisions; insomnia or excessive sleeping; overheating or loss of appetite; thoughts of suicide; persistent pains or headaches, or digestive problems that do not respond to treatment.

Depression can range from mild to severe, and symptoms vary from person to person.

If you suffer from depression, please consult a medical professional, especially if your symptoms are severe.

There are herbal remedies which have traditionally been used to treat depression, I will discuss them in the coming days.


I want to start with just a few remarks about St. John's wort, also called Hypericum perforatum.

There were some studies reported in the press, which said that St. John's wort was not effective for treating depression. The studies this information was based on are considered flawed, according to reports on the National Institute of Health's website: "However, due to problems with the designs of these studies, they cannot be considered definitive. Overall, the scientific evidence supports the effectiveness of St. John's wort in mild-to-moderate major depression. The evidence in severe major depression remains unclear."

If you would like to read the full entry about St. John's wort, it is available at this link: NIH St Johns wort report.

I will have more to say about St. John's wort in the coming days.

The material presented in this blog is for informational use only and should in no way be used as a substitute for needed medical treatment. I am not a doctor, I do not diagnose or treat disease. If you need medical care, please consult the appropriate medical professional. And please discuss with your doctor if you are taking or planning to take any herbal preparations.





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