has anyone ever taken St John Wort herbal

Deals_2

remedy. apparently in some countries such as Germany and Ireland this is prescribed but it seems to be available over the counter here. It seems to help redevelop seratonin but can affect the individual in sunlight. any tips appreciated. thanks in advance.

Hapless_2

Fisrtly always check with your GP as with any herbal. Herbal does not mean safe. It can internact with prescription and OTC medicines and even some common foods. If you have certain illnesses it should not be taken. As I say check with a GP or find a good herbal practictioner (sp).

floyd

Also be aware that it can interact with the contraceptive pill and make it ineffective

Nicki

I had very bad PND and took a cocktail of drugs for a long time before I recovered. A few years later I found myself in a very stressful prolonged situation and recognised the early signs of depression developing. I took St Johns Wort for a very short period (about a week) I think and felt

Nicki

I had very bad PND and took a cocktail of drugs for a long time before I recovered. A few years later I found myself in a very stressful prolonged situation and recognised the early signs of depression developing. I took St Johns Wort for a very short period (about a week) I think and felt a lot better. I suspect this was a placebo effect, as I don't think I took it long enough to build up a therapeutic level in my blood stream, but what the heck, it did the trick!

Katmc2k

floyd wrote: »

Also be aware that it can interact with the contraceptive pill and make it ineffective

Floyd's right, when I recently got the implant the doctor told me at least four times not to take St John's Wort!

Also, you can get it in teabag format if that might be more enjoyable to take than big vitamin pills. Hope it does the trick! x

absfabs

Lots of interactions, would definitely speak to GP first. He/she may also have some advice on symptoms you wish to take it for.

melancholly

hmm..... i know someone who has major problems keeping sleep patterns, so i may have a bit more of a look into st johns wort. i did find a nice artice on it which is from Berkeley (so i trust the source!) here. One of the things it did say was that no-one has reported major skin problems, which i guess is the side effect to be most worried about.

i did also find a page from the National Institute of Mental Health in the states who say it's not suitable to treat major depression, but that they're looking into more milder forms. i guess that's some kind of endorsement!

i can't take it as i'm on the pill - and it looks like it interacts with quite a lot of drugs.... which makes me a bit nervous! Katmc2k - where can you the tea bags from? will a normal health food shop do them? i might buy a pack for my friend who can't get in a sleeping pattern as the amount of 'active ingredient' in there will be less than in a pill.

absfabs

Looks like a good article, melancholly, though dated ?1999 may not reflect the most up to date info.

I was just searching for reliable not commercially biased info, too and found this http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/special_reports/depression/stjwort.htm

As it is not a licensed medicine it is not "regulated" as such, strength/purity of active ingredients and the way they are released can be quite variable, the usual sources don't give much info.

Interesting that it has been banned in Ireland from OTC sales...

melancholly

i love this line from your article:
"Warnings to appear on the bottles alongside the pretty pictures of the flowering herbs are being prepared urgently." lol

Deals_2

sent you a pm too. not sure if we should just go for omega 3 or/and also st john's wort. thanks in advance.

Ted_Hutchinson wrote: »

There is plenty of evidence at Pubmed supporting the safety and effectiveness of St John's Wort for the treatment of Depression. If you search this forum you will see this matter has been discussed before and I have in the past provided links confirming how much safer than prescibed anti-depressant medications SJW is proven to be.

A new paradigm for depression in new mothers:shows the central role of inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments protect maternal mental health.

Research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has revealed that depression is associated with inflammation manifested by increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines. .................These include long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, cognitive therapy, St. John's wort, and conventional antidepressants.


The above paper though shows that depression is associated with inflammation and I'm sure readers here will know that one of the most effective anti inflammatory agents known to operate in the brain, is Vitamin D3. This Randomized comparison of the effects of the vitamin D3 shows that taking a safe EFFECTIVE amount of Vitamin D3 will improve your feelings of Well being.

The safety of effective levels of Vitamin D3 is shown in these 2 papers newly listed today. this using 6400iu/d and this using 4000iu/d a by product of the 6400iu/d study was this 70% reduction in Colds/flu incidence

Most people in the UK are Vitamin D insufficient so addressing Vitamin D3 status is a safe step one should consider first when treating depression. The initial link also mentions the role of OMEGA 3 as a natural anti inflammatory agent.
How can I get more omega 3 fatty acids in my daily meals?: answer


omega-3 fatty acids: foodsources from which I quote

Workshop on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDI) for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in 1999 sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This panel of experts recommended that people consume at least 2% of their total daily calories as omega-3 fats. To meet this recommendation, a person consuming 2000 calories per day should eat sufficient omega-3-rich foods to provide at least 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.
This goal can be easily met by adding just two foods to your diet: flaxseeds and wild-caught salmon. Two tablespoons of flaxseeds contain 3.5 grams of omega 3 fats, while a 4 ounce piece of salmon contains 1.5 grams of omega 3 fats.

PS You don't have to be pregnant or breastfeeding to benefit from effective levels of Vit d supplements. I used these links because I check the Vit d news each day and these happen to be on todays listings. If it's safe for pregnant/breastfeeding adults, generally safe.

PPS I've highlighted the 4grms omega 3 to try to draw your attention to the fact that 1000mg omega 3 capsules only contain a third of a gram of omega 3. To get 4g of Omega 3 you need to add together the EPA and DHA totals for the product you are using ad make sure that they total 4g. You'd need to take 12 standard 1000mg omega 3 capsules to make 4g omega 3 This is why I use Zipvits omega juice as a tsp of that contains 600mg DHA + 900mg EPA = 1.5g omega 3 so 2 tsps provide 3g omega 3.
There is a thread on Flaxseeds in the discussion forum if you search Flaxseed wow. They have to be ground otherwise they pass straight through. I add them to cereal/porridge but they also substitute for fat/eggs in baking so are easily incorporated in the diet. Don't forget a humble tin of sardines in tomato sauce provides 2g omega 3 Nettos used to be around 18p tin.