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St. John's Wort: Effective Treatment for Depression
Written records document the use of Hypericum perforatum, otherwise
known as St. John's wort, as early as the Middle Ages. Some accounts
trace its use back to the ancient Greeks, who purportedly utilized
extracts of the flowering plant as a treatment against demonic
possession.
Today, millions of depression sufferers are turning to St. John's
wort to relieve their condition, and for good reason. Witness
the results of a study that appeared in the September 2, 2000
issue of the British Medical Journal. Three hundred and
twenty-four patients with mild-to-moderate depression received
250 mg of pharmacy-grade St. John's wort extract or 75 mg of imipramine,
(one of the most commonly prescribed tricyclic antidepressants)
twice daily.
After six weeks of treatment, St. John's wort and imipramine were
deemed equivalent in terms of their effect on depression symptoms,
with a subscale of the depression rating scale indicating a significant
advantage for St. John's wort. Patients also tolerated St. John's
wort and reported fewer adverse reactions than patients taking
the prescription medication.
Some countries utilize St. John's wort to treat depression more
frequently than other well-known depression medications such as
Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. As the results of this study suggest,
they may be on to something. Talk to your doctor about the potential
benefits of St. John's wort and other herbal extracts.
Reference: Woelk H. Comparison of St. John's wort and imipramine
for treating depression: randomized controlled trial. British
Medical Journal, Sept. 2, 2000: Vol. 321, pp536-39.
for more, visit www.craiganderson.net
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