St. John's Wort is in the news again.
If you're depressed, don't take it!!
A new study Sponsored by the National Institute of Health and directed by Dr. Richard C. Shelton, concludes that St. John's Wort has proved useless in treating depression. His study was conducted at 11 teaching hospitals in the U.S. and included 200 patients and lasted eight weeks. The participants were described as suffering from major depression; people with severe depression were not studied.
The patients received either an extract of St. John's Wort or a placebo, with neither patients nor doctors knowing which had been taken. After eight weeks, there was no difference between those who took the herb and those in the placebo group. About 27% who took St. John's Wort showed some improvement, while 19% in the placebo group showed improvement, however the difference was not statistically significant.
Depression is defined as a sad or depressed mood that lasts two weeks or more, along with at least four other symptoms like feelings of guilt or worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, decreased energy and changes in appetite and sleep. The symptons can range from mild to severe and are thought to affect 1 in 5 Americans.
Still, some advocates of St. John's Wort assert that it works for minor depression and that more research needs to be done. The American Botanical Council questioned the study, in particular its failure to include a comparison group taking antidepressants. Such a study is under way.
Source: New York Times