St John's Wort

St John’s wort has been used to treat nervous conditions since ancient Greek times and was also used for its sedative and antimalarial properties. In the 19th and 20th centuries, St John’s wort was used to treat hysteria and nervous diseases with depression. It has also been used to treat wounds, bruises and sprains.

Follow the links below to find out how recent research rates the effectiveness of St. John's wort as a herbal medicine.

Reviewed May 2008

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8 Resources Found
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Title:   Information for consumers taking St John's Wort
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   St John's wort is an ingredient in complementary medicines which are available without prescription from pharmacies, health food shops and other sources. St John's Wort preparations taken by mouth may interact with some prescription medicines, stopping them from working properly.
Date:   Sep 2000
Title:   St John's wort for depression
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Extracts of St. John's wort (botanical name Hypericum perforatum L.) are prescribed widely for the treatment of depression. They seem more effective than placebo and similarly effective as standard antidepressants for treating mild to moderate depressiv...
Date:   Feb 2005
Title:   St John's wort
Publisher:   DepressioNet
Description:   Many studies of St John's wort show that it is an effective treatment for people with mild to moderate depression. It is not recommended for people with major depression.
Date:   Dec 2007
Title:   St John's wort
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Classed as a noxious weed in some parts of Australia, the medical world is becoming increasingly interested in St John's wort - the 'humble little roadside weed'.
Date:   Jul 2001
Title:   TGA alert to doctors and pharmacists and complementary health practitioners
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   Important interactions between St John's wort (hypericum perforatum) preparations and prescription medicines. This alert concerns emerging evidence of interactions which may lead to loss of therapeutic effect of the prescribed medicines.
Date:   Mar 2001
Title:   Information sheet for health care professionals: interactions of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) preparations
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   New evidence suggests that St John's Wort preparations may interact with medicines, either by affecting drug metabolism or levels of neurotransmitters. This page includes a list of drugs where pharmacokinetic studies or suspected adverse reactions demonstrate clinically important interactions.
Date:   Mar 2000
Title:   St. John's wort - quack medicine or novel antidepressant treatment?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   Reports that extracts of the plant St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) possess an antidepressant property have generated considerable professional and lay interest. While some trials have reported an effect greater than placebo and comparable to antidepressants, the studies have significant methodological weaknesses.
Title:   St. John's wort - quack medicine or novel antidepressant treatment?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   Extracts of the plant, St. John's wort, may have medicinal properties. Some people with depression may improve by taking these extracts. Nobody is sure which chemical in the plant causes this effect or how it works.
Date:   Jan 1999
Results 1 to 8 displayed.