ST. JOHN’S WORT: WARDING OFF THE BLUES

The earliest documented therapeutic use of St. John’s Wort can be traced back to Hippocrates, that great model for medical practitioners through the ages. Even in Greek and Roman times, this healing plant was used to treat neuralgic conditions, among other things, while in folk culture it was believed to keep away witches and evil spirits.

The use of St. John’s Wort for psychological disorders continued into the modern era, but took a quantum leap forward in the 1980s, when researchers started to take a closer look at this herb. At first it was thought that key constituents of St. John’s Wort block the action of a compound in the body known as monoamine oxidase (MAO). As scientists delved more deeply into the matter, they found the significant antidepressant action of St. John’s Wort to be much more complex, encompassing several possible factors. Some speculate, for example, that St. John’s Wort’s therapeutic potency stems from its photosensitizing effect. Which is to say that it renders the body more receptive to the mood-altering benefits of light. Others believe it has an effect on melatonin levels. Whatever the case, St. John’s Wort came to be considered an antidepressant to be reckoned on a par with man-made drugs.(1)

St. John’s Wort was further compared with Prozac, probably the best known of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are the standard of care for depression in the modern era. It was found, to the astonishment of the world, that this age-old herb functioned every bit as effectively as Prozac.(2)

The beautiful thing about St. John’s Wort is that it has a whole lot fewer of the side-effects of MAOs and SSRIs. It’s also a great example of that perennially recurring cycle in life whereby the old becomes new again.

Health Canada has given its formal approval to St. Francis Herb Farm’s product, “St. John’s Wort” (NPN 80003770).

(1) Kerry Bone and Berris Burgoyne, “Hypericum—New Uses for an Old Wort” Part 2, MediHerb Professional Review, No. 45, May 1995, pp. 1-5.
(2) K Line, MM Berner, L Kriston, “St. John’s wort for major depression (Review)”. Abstract and summary of this significant study accessed online August 9, 2011 at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000448.pub3/pdf/abstract