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Study shows St. John's Wort ineffective for depression
National Institutes of Health news release:
Major depression is a serious public health concern. St. John's Wort, an herb, is taken by many people for the relief of mild to moderate depression. A study was conducted by the National Institutes of Health in response to the increased use of St. John's Wort in the United States and a need for more definitive data on its use for different types of depression.
The randomized, double-blind trial, involved 340 participants and compared the use of a standardized extract of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) to a placebo. The study also compared the FDA approved antidepressant drug sertraline (Zoloft®) to a placebo in order to measure how sensitive the trial was to detecting the antidepressant effects, in the first place.
The study found that patients who took St. John's Wort or the placebo had similar rates of response while those taking the drug, sertraline (Zoloft®) fared better than the placebo.
Bottom line: In this study, St. Johns Wort was not proven to be effective in improving an indiviudal's level of depression.
This study was published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association
National Institutes of Health news release:
Major depression is a serious public health concern. St. John's Wort, an herb, is taken by many people for the relief of mild to moderate depression. A study was conducted by the National Institutes of Health in response to the increased use of St. John's Wort in the United States and a need for more definitive data on its use for different types of depression.
The randomized, double-blind trial, involved 340 participants and compared the use of a standardized extract of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) to a placebo. The study also compared the FDA approved antidepressant drug sertraline (Zoloft®) to a placebo in order to measure how sensitive the trial was to detecting the antidepressant effects, in the first place.
The study found that patients who took St. John's Wort or the placebo had similar rates of response while those taking the drug, sertraline (Zoloft®) fared better than the placebo.
Bottom line: In this study, St. Johns Wort was not proven to be effective in improving an indiviudal's level of depression.
This study was published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association