Home | Books | Health Store | Resources | News

Archive

St. John's Wort: Nature's Blue Buster

by Hyla Cass, M.D.


"I feel like a veil has been lifted. I am sleeping better, dreaming more, and remembering my dreams!"

"It was never like this on Prozac. I'm more energetic and focused, and there's more laughter."

These two quotes are from St. John's Wort: Nature's Blue Buster. The latest scientific research has proven this traditional herbal remedy to be at least as effective as Prozac and other pharmaceutical antidepressants, at one tenth the cost. Moreover, St. John's Wort is available without a prescription and free of the unpleasant and sometimes serious side effects of these drugs. In Germany, where it has a long history of use, St. John's Wort is the leading antidepressant, outselling Prozac 20 to 1.

Dr. Cass has used it successfully in her own practice of othomolecular psychiatry, often combined with other supplements. Here are some of the main points of interest covered in greater detail in the book:


Indications for Use

• Mild to moderate depression, whether triggered by a particular situation, or a life -long struggle

• Seasonal affective disorder

• Premenstrual syndrome

• Sleep disorders: St. John's wort promotes restful sleep and, unlike conventional medications, rather than interfere with dreaming, actually enhances it.


Evidence

The Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology (1994) devoted an entire issue to "Hypericum,: A novel Antidepressant", with 17 studies involving 3,250 patients with mild to moderate depression. The British Medical Journal (Linde at al, 1996) published a review of 23 controlled studies involving 1,757 depressed patients. The results showed that St. John's wort was:

• Three times more effective than a placebo (inactive sugar pill)

• As effective as synthetic antidepressants, but without their side effects.


Actions

• St. John's Wort acts as a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, similar to Prozac. This increases the availability of this antidepressant neurotransmitter ("chemical messenger") between brain cells.

• It may have a similar action on the stimulant neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine, both by its mild inhibition of MAO, and of COMT, another enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters.

• St. John's Wort may inhibit the cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), which raises levels of cortisol, a hormone that is elevated in stress and depression. By indirectly reducing cortisol levels, the herb may thus produce a further antidepressant effect.

• Although St. John's wort acts as a mild MAO inhibitor, it is far too mild to cause the feared "tyramine" or "cheese effect" which requires certain food restrictions. Older sources of information have repeated this erroneous warning.


Advantages Compared to Antidepressant Drugs

• These drugs have disturbing side effects including headaches, nausea, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, sedation, "drugged" feeling, agitation, heart arrhythmias, weight changes, short term memory loss, and rashes.

• A great advantage of herbs over the targeted "magic bullet" effects of synthetic drugs is that herbs are complex combinations of many ingredients with multiple actions. This increases the beneficial effects while reducing possible side effects.

• Herbs like St. John's wort work more harmoniously with our own biochemistry, since unlike manufactured drugs, they are naturally occurring.

• Specifically, St. John's wort is non-addictive, non-habituating, and has no withdrawal symptoms. It does not interefere with REM sleep, enhances sleep and dreaming, has no adverse effects when mixed with alcohol or drugs (for exception, see below), and does not cause drowsiness or agitation.


Switching from Antidepressants

• For those who are already taking an antidepressant for mild to moderate depression, I recommend conferring with the prescribing physician regarding gradually replacing it with St. John's wort. There is a protocol in the book for this.

• Do not combine St. John's wort with an MAO inhibitor, such as Nardil or Parnate, since the combination can lead to a dangerous excess of this neurotransmitter, called "serotonin syndrome".

• St. John's wort is not recommended for severe depression or bipolar disorder, unless under a doctor's supervision.


Dosage

• The average recommended dose is 300 mg. of standardized extract (0.3%hypericin) two - three times daily

• Tablets, capsules, or tincture, depending on individual preference.

• Allow one to several weeks for the full effect to occur.


Diet and Lifestyle

Dietary and lifestyle choices that can enhance the effectiveness of St. John's Wort, and round out this natural approach to depression. St. John's wort can be used along with a variety of other nutritional supplements that help correct the underlying chemical imbalances.


Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • 1.  One Powerful Herb
  • 2.  Understanding Depression
  • 3.  The Mind, the Body, and Mental Health
  • 4.  St. John's Wort - The Versatile Herb
  • 5.  How to Use St. John's Wort
  • 6.  Depression and St. John's Wort - Looking at the Proof
  • 7.  Prozac and Beyond - The Synthetic Antidepressants
  • 8.  Nutritional Approaces to Mental Health
  • 9.  Living a Depression-Free Lifestyle
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix A:  Suggested Readings
  • Appendix B:  Natural Medicine Resources
  • Appendix C:  Protocol for Switching a Patient From an Antidepressant to St. John's Wort
  • Appendix D:  The Regulatory Status of St. John's Wort in Various Countries
  • References
  • Index

Read an Excerpt from the Book



Return to Top

 
       

The content provided by this site is for informational purposes only and has
not been approved by the U.S. FDA. This site is not intended to provide
personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional.

©2008 cassmd.com, all rights reserved.