St. Johns Wort and Depression
"Just like other illnesses, depression can be treated so that people can live happy active lives." -Tom Bosley
Although Saint Johns Wort has been in use for centuries to treat mental disorders; recent studies have shown that it is useful to treat mild depression but has no effect on major depressive illness.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has also sponsored studies covering a wide spectrum of mood disorders together with mild depression. These studies show promise for its efficacy as a natural anti-depressant.
Saint Johns Wort has proved to be effective in treating mild depression over a short period of time. In Europe many scientific studies including twenty three clinical studies showed that Saint Johns Wort may be useful to treat cases of mild or moderate depression.
In 2006 there was another study carried out with patients suffering from mild depression or dysthymia (a mood disorder where patients exhibit a lack of enjoyment and pleasure, which continues for an extended period). Saint Johns Wort had a marked effect on patients with minor depression but had no effect on those who suffered from dysthymia.
Studies sponsored by NCCAM showed that Saint Johns Wort is ineffective when used to treat major depression with moderate severity and it is preferable to explore other alternate methods to treat this condition.
The reason for this study was perhaps due to what Paul M. Coates PhD and director of ODS (Office of Dietary Supplements) has said. He said "St. Johns Wort is taken by many people for the relief of mild to moderate depression. It is important to assess the efficacy and safety of this and other commonly used dietary supplement ingredients."
The NCCAM is funding ongoing research on the efficacy of Saint Johns Wort for the following
- Its safety and its effectiveness in treating minor depression.
- Its safety in treating what is termed as social phobia.
- Its safety in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
- Its effectiveness on how well birth control pills work.
- Its possible adverse reactions on narcotic pain killers.
