St Johns Wort
So he had a wart, give the guy a break!
Ok, so wort is different to wart in quite a fundamental way, it is just another name for plant, weed, herb, root etc. The reason St John’s Wort is named after St John the Baptist is because it is in full bloom on his feast day, June 24th. St John’s Wort is also known as Klamath Weed, Goat Weed and Tipton’s Weed, and scientifically as Hypericum Perforatum.
St John’s Wort has been used since ancient times to treat various mental disorders and nerve pain, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, as a balm for wounds, burns insect bites and even to treat Malaria. It was prescribed by Hippocrates himself, what more proof do you need that this stuff really works?
It is used extensively worldwide today and is recognised by medical professionals as being an effective treatment for many depressive and anxiety disorders. It is more likely to be effective if you have a more mild form of depression, as some acute depressive disorders require different chemical antidepressants to be effectively managed. It is always important to talk to a medical professional about your own depression, and you can always ask them if St John’s Wort might be a possible treatment option.
How can it help me?
St John’s Wort has been proven time and time again to be as effective as conventional prescribed antidepressant medicines in the treatment of depression and anxiety. So much so that in Germany it is chosen for use over these drugs in at least 50% of cases because it has less side effects and is a much cheaper alternative to conventional antidepressants.
Those who study the effects of St John’s Wort think that it works similarly to the newest synthetic antidepressant drugs. These SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) work by stimulating the presynaptic cell in a synapse in place of the natural hormone serotonin, leaving more serotonin free in the synapse. Basically, there is more of the happy hormone to go around.
St John’s Wort can have side effects similar to conventional antidepressant medications, but these are usually much less severe, they include photosensitization, dizziness and nausea.
Who can’t use St John’s Wort?
St John’s Wort is contraindicated in people taking a wide variety of medications and you must always check with your doctor if you intend to start taking it and you already take any medications. Some of the drugs St John’s Wort interacts with are other antidepressants, HIV drugs, cancer drugs, Cyclosporine, anticoagulants, birth control pills and ant-epileptics.
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