National Center for Complementary and Altenative Medicine
http://www.dukemednews.org/news/article.php?id=5435
DURHAM, N.C. -- The largest clinical trial performed to date on the popular herbal supplement St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) has found it to be no more effective than placebo for the treatment of a moderately severe form of major depression, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
http://www2.netdoctor.co.uk/special_reports/depression/stjwo rt.htm
There have also been some reports from America that St John's wort can cause nerve damage or cataracts when combined with bright sunlight. This is believable because herbalists have always known that when St John's wort is used externally, you have to keep out of the sun. Combined with oil, it is used on the skin for paralysis or to treat pain from nerves or shingles.
Researchers have found that hypericin, the active ingredient in St John's wort, does react with sunlight. This is particularly significant for people who suffer from the 'winter blues' or seasonal affective disorder, who might be tempted to combine a course of St John's wort with light-box therapy - sitting for long periods bathed in bright light.
How Does St. John’s Wort Work?
Like pharmaceutical antidepressants, St. John's wort is thought to raise levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine
I have read claims that it acts on your lymphatic system, and numerous other "medical" (written by lay people flogging the stuff on the net) claims that are strictly bogus. There is some issue of it having a reverse effect on people, leading to increased depression, sluggishness, and a higher risk of suicide. Dont be fooled or misled by "information and facts" presented by people who want your money.
Just because its a so-called "natural" substance doesnt make it safe, most of our presciption medication comes from plants !
Perhaps the biggest concern with St. John's wort is the possibility that it may decrease the effectiveness of various medications, including protease inhibitors (for HIV infection), cyclosporine (for organ transplants), digoxin (for heart disease), statin drugs (used for high cholesterol) warfarin (a blood thinner), chemotherapy drugs, oral contraceptives, tricyclic antidepressants, olanzapine or clozapine (for schizophrenia), and theophylline (for asthma).56–67,80,82,87,88,92,93,95 Furthermore, if you are taking St. John's wort and one of these medications at the same time and then stop taking the herb, blood levels of the drug may rise. This rise in drug level could be dangerous in certain circumstances.
These interactions could lead to catastrophic consequences. Indeed, St. John's wort appears to have caused several cases of heart, kidney, and liver transplant rejection by interfering with the action of cyclosporine. Also, many people with HIV take St. John's wort in the false belief that the herb will fight AIDS. The unintended result may be to reduce the potency of standard anti-HIV drugs.
In addition, the herb appears to decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives and by doing so is thought to have caused unwanted pregnancies.68,88
Finally, one report suggests that use of St. John’s wort may interact with anesthetic drugs.101
Certain foods contain a substance named tyramine. These foods include aged cheeses, aged or cured meat, sauerkraut, soy sauce, other soy condiments, beer (especially beer on tap) and wine. Drugs in the MAO inhibitor family interact adversely with tyramine, causing severe side effects such as high blood pressure, rapid heart rate and delirium. One case report suggests that St. John’s might present this risk as well.96 However, other studies suggest that normal doses of St. John’s should not cause MAO-like effects.4,5,97 Until this issue is sorted out, we recommend that individuals taking St. John’s wort avoid tyramine-containing foods. Since MAO inhibitors react adversely with stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, ephedrine (found in the herb ephedra) and caffeine, we also recommend that you avoid combining St. John’s wort with them.
One small study suggests that high doses of St. John's wort might slightly impair mental function.73
One case report associates use of St. John's wort with hair loss.74 The authors note that standard antidepressants may also cause hair loss at times.
One study raised questions about possible antifertility effects of St. John's wort. When high concentrations of St. John's wort were placed in a test tube with hamster sperm and ova, the sperm were damaged and less able to penetrate the ova.75 However, since it is unlikely that this much St. John's wort can actually come in contact with sperm and ova when they are in the body rather than in a test tube, these results may not be meaningful in real life.
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