What is St Johns Wort

[barginboyrob]

I always see St Johns Wort as one of the bestsellers in vitamin stores and online vitamin stores. When I try and find out about what it is I don't really understand (maintain emotional balance?!)

I heard some celebrity's have it so was wondering...if you have some, does it make you happy or something? (even if you don't have depression)

Just wondering!

[kathy206]

Hi :)
St John's Wort is a natural remedy that can have mild anti-depressant effects.A lot of people Use it just to give their mood a "lift" (gradual onset, not instant results) when they are feeling a bit low, and there is some research to state they are effective. HOWEVER they can greatly affect the way LOTS of other important prescribed medications work, sometimes to a dangerous level. The important thing to remember is to let your GP know if you intend to take them, and why.
HTH
Kathy :)

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Previous SJW thread (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=5902705)
Do be aware though that the underlying cause of low feelings of well being is being contributed to by low vitamin D status (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/860).

The chart of Vitamin d status at the end of this paper Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurement in a large population survey (http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/jc.2007-1279v1) shows us that in the Winter UK Adults have less than half the amount of Vitamin d necessary for optimal calcium uptake and a third of the amount needed for optimal cancer prevention, and that even at the peak our levels are generally insufficient to meet all our body's requirements.

Optimum feelings of well being occur when our body's basic needs for Vitamin D are met. (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=506781)In the same way you would not expect your car to handle properly if the tyres were less than 50% inflated so you cannot expect your body to respond to stress properly if it hasn't the means to do so.

http://static.capitalreach.com/a/asbmr/2006december/6951/slides/small/slide1013.jpg (http://app2.capitalreach.com/esp1204/servlet/tc?c=10169&cn=asbmr&e=6951&espbr=16&espmt=2&s=20343&&m=1&espnavmode=1#)Slide 16 ( 00:15:08 ) (http://app2.capitalreach.com/esp1204/servlet/tc?c=10169&cn=asbmr&e=6951&espbr=16&espmt=2&s=20343&&m=1&espnavmode=1#)This slide shows some of the complexity of Vitamin D systems and this explains the basic requirement in more detail. (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17218096)

Depression is in many cases a result of stress induced inflammation in the brain. SJW acts as an anti inflammatory agent but as Vitamin D and the omega 3 essential fatty acid DHA are also anti inflammatory agents known to work in the brain it is MORE important that we correct deficiency states in these these first as they have other uses in the body and will help prevent the chronic conditions deficiency in Vitamin D3 (http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/research.shtml)and Omega3 cause (http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/6/495), as well as deal with the stress induced inflammation resulting in depression.

[barginboyrob]

Wow,super thanks ted...

So it's actaully good for you then..

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Wow,super thanks ted...

So it's actaully good for you then..But not nearly as good for you as improving your vitamin d status (http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/depression.shtml)or your omega 3 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17717628) status or your (http://www.mdheal.org/magnesiu1.htm) magnesium status (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17402292). These have far more overall health benefits for both body and brain than does SJW.

[sofacat]

This site (http://www.supplementscompared.com/st-johns-wort/c/200/) has some good info on it

[Milford_Cubicle]

I'd just like to add that if you're taking the combined pill and St John's Wort, then extra contraception is a very good idea.
*Looks at DD*

[Ted_Hutchinson]

NHS CHOICES St John's Wort article (http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/10October/Pages/StJohn'swortanddepression.aspx)

[Sweet_Pea]

St John's Wort is a good mood lifter but can stop contraceptive pill from working. A friend of mine was on both for months before finding that out and she was so glad she didn't get pregnant as a result. Needless to say she stopped taking St John's!

[sofacat]

I'd just like to add that if you're taking the combined pill and St John's Wort, then extra contraception is a very good idea.
*Looks at DD*

Yes, the site I mentioned also lists these as possibly interacting drugs:

digoxin, warfarin, oral contraceptives, theophylline, cyclosporin and medicines for epilepsy, migraine, depression and HIV (see here (http://www.supplementscompared.com/st-johns-wort/c/200/#faq3))

[skintchick]

St johns Wort was no use at helping with my depression - i needed proper drugs for that. I don;t know anyone who had depression that it helped, and if you are not depressed then why take it at all?

[Skint_Catt]

Agree with skintchick. After my third bout of depression (at the time undiagnosed) and several try's at St Johns Wort which proved ineffective I saw a Dr. Prescribed Anti-D's are the only thing that will get you out of real depression.

[moneysaving pharmacist]

Herbal products, such as st john's wort, can, and do, have pharmacological properties. There are many examples of drugs which are derived from herbal or other natural sources: aspirin, digoxin, morphine, penicillins, taxol, to name a few. The problem with herbal products is standardisation - are you getting the same dose of the active from batch to batch and from manufacturer to manufacturer? We are also likely to know less about interactions between herbal products and medicines than about interactions between medicines.