St. Johns wort

Hello. I was wondering if there's Anything bad about taking St. Johns wort? I want to start taking it.

[Paxiled]

Only if you're already taking an antidepressant.  If you're not, then it should be fine.  The only common side effect is a skin rash upon exposure to the sun; it's not that common, but it can happen.

[Dustyanders]

Thanks for your help!

[Dustyanders]

Thanks for your help!

[WaterFlowers]

Does anyone know if it actually works well? Any good stories?

[29sillygirl]

I  tried it a couple of times, but it didn't work for me.

My doctor said for some odd reason, people in Germany have great luck with the herb, while patients here do not.  

My belief: if you have a very mild depression, it might help.  Of course other simple remedies would work too if the depression was situational or very mild.

[Paxiled]

No, it works fine here, too, but as with any anti-depressant, results will vary.  Remember that none of the meds we take worked a huge amount better than placebo in initial trials; you don't have to show that much to get FDA approval or nothing would get approved.  Also keep in the mind that in Germany, the form of St. John's Wort used was the standardized version, not the natural herb, and the research was done several years ago.  The sad fact is that mental illness is more prevalent in the US than just about anywhere else, and more intractable, and that Germany has a long unbroken herbal tradition whereas ours has taken a beating since the AMA was created in the late 1800s with the funding a profit-motive of the robber barons.  So you're going to get a better placebo effect from herbs, too, in other countries than you will after so many years of negative PR here.  If you believe something will work, it really does seem to increase your chances.  Now, if you were to see an herbalist or naturopath, they would probably utilize a group of remedies, not just one, and would also suggest dietary and lifestyle changes, so whether one remedy will work by itself or not doesn't mean it won't work in combination with other things.