title: [St. John' Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)--multicompound preparations versus single substances].
abstract: Aqueous alcoholic extracts of St. John s wort are used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Recently, Hypericum extracts were also shown to inhibit the growth of various human malignant cells. We promote the hypothesis that the various biological activities of aqueous Hypericum extracts are based on synergistic interactions of all compounds present therein and not on the pharmacological activities of single compounds.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmazie und Molekulare Biotechnologie, Abt. Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, Germany. juergen.reichling@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reichling
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hostanska
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saller
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D020902:Hypericum; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts