What effect is St. John's Wort supposed to have?

Question

What effect is St. John's Wort supposed to have?

Answer 1

Hypericin - the active ingredient of the herb - improves the mood (and often considerably so!).

The standardised extract (the one you get in pills) is often the best choice, but it has to be taken for several weeks before it "kicks in" - but then the cumulative effect lasts so much longer.

I have seen cases where people felt better almost immediately after taking it. Most bafflingly, there was a case of very severe depression where the patient seemed like a changed (for the better) person literally overnight.

But the general consensus is that it has a cumulative effect, so it has to be taken for a few days or, more often, weeks before it kicks in.

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Answer 2

Reduce depression

Answer 3

I took St. John's Wort about 10 years ago for depression.  I was on it for about six months and it took about a month before I felt a difference.  I'm sure this varies from person to person.  It took the edge off of my depression and helped a bit with my anxiety. I also found that I really slept well while I was taking this.   I wouldn't expect too much from it if you are moderately or severely depressed.

A couple words of caution.  The strength of herbal products can vary widely.  In other words you may be getting a different dose of the herb each time you buy a new bottle.  The reason for this is that the government looks at these products as supplements, not medications, so therefore there is no supervision here.  Also, be sure to get organic varieties.

Another thing is that you want to make sure you are not taking any other medications or herbal supplements.  It has been found that St. John's Wort can interfere with the strength of prescription drugs -- Birth Control pills in particular.  So be careful with this.  Also, don't take St. John's Wort if you are pregnant or nursing.

Here is a website for further information.  Hope this helps.



http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/...

Answer 4

It is supposed to be good for people that have mild depression, stress, or anxiety in their life.  I've heard that it works pretty good for this kind of thing.