Update on St. John's Wort.
Herbal preparations for depression are often preferred over pharmaceutical drugs because they are available without prescription and because they are commonly assumed to be safe. St. John's wort (SJW) is one of the best-known and best-selling herbal therapies for depression. Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of SJW for major depression suggest that SJW is superior to placebo, is similarly effective compared with conventional antidepressant drugs, and tends to have fewer side effects compared with antidepressant agents, but there is a large degree of heterogeneity among the placebo-controlled studies, and trials from German-speaking countries tend to report more favorable findings. A small number of studies suggest SJW is safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Although SJW is relatively well tolerated, it is prone to many important drug-drug interactions.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, USA. HowlandRH@upmc.edu
Robert H
RH
Howland
D001942:Breast Feeding; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D020902:Hypericum / Q000009:adverse effects; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy
D028321:Plant Preparations