How did I get started with St. John's Wort? Within a recent three year period, I was forced to cope with first one and then another tragic event involving a family member. I was only slowly starting to regain my balance when the second event occurred.

Like many of you, every attempt was being made to hide the extent of distress from others. We go to work and take care of the daily tasks, wearing an "all is well" mask. But even when this is successfully, it begins to take a heavy personal toll.

Self-diagnosis is, of course, a tricky thing, but I've been in this line of work for a long time, and my symptoms seemed very consistent with those for which the St. John's wort herb was being recommended. Depression symptoms were at the mild/moderate level, not enough to meet criteria for identification of major depressive disorder, but more than enough to be limiting my ability to perform at my best. I didn't need a strong psychotropic. I did need something to "take the edge off".

The Internet/WWW was a primary source of information, and the amount of favorable research about this herb is very impressive. The name itself is a bit of a turn-off, but the "real" name, hypericum perforatum, is a mouthful.

("Wort", by the way, means "plant", and the most likely explanation for the "St. John's" prefix is a belief that the flowers of this short, yellow-flowering, wild-growing plant are best picked when fully open and the sun is shining, a time which often corresponds to St. John the Baptist's feast day.)

The majority of studies of treatment of depression with St. John's wort have used an extract standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin. The typical recommended dosage is 300 mg, three times daily. My personal preference is to begin with a smaller dosage and increase only if needed and only up to the maximum recommended. With St. John's wort I noticed a difference taking it just once a day (in the morning) and kept it at that level.

Particularly with the smaller dosage, I didn't expect to find a "night vs. day" difference in my life. What I wanted and accomplished was a marked decrease in feeling "brittle". The effect was gradual, but it was real.

I take it in the morning at breakfast along with some vitamin supplements, and the extent of the positive effect became most noticeable early in my use of SJW when I ran out and didn't replenish the supply for a couple of weeks. By then, it had become just another thing to take in the morning. I knew I needed to get some more but didn't have the replacement very high on my priority list. But, after the fact, it was clearly apparent that some symptom recurrence corresponded directly to the period without the St. John's wort. I haven't been without it since that time.

In other areas of the PJ-Herbal Clinic site, you will find specific information about cautions in use of St. John's wort reported in the research literature. Before you use any supplement, you will want to consider any reports of unwanted effects, particularly the possibility of interactions with other things you are taking.

My own experience, apparently typical for the vast majority with St. John's wort, has been completely positive. I have not had any negative side effects from continued use of this herbal supplement.

It seems worth emphasizing that St. John's wort has received high marks for safety, even in studies conducted by sponsors unlikely to be supportive of herbal alternatives. And, the research indicating some effects, for example photosensitivity, have been with animals in which the dosage was 30 to 50 times higher than the typical recommended maximum for humans.

I really can't answer this question. We would not have identical reactions to foods or to medications, so our reactions to this supplement might be different as well. I can only report that my personal experience with St. John's wort and with the resource for it identified below has been completely positive.

If you are experiencing severe depression symptoms, your health care provider should certainly be involved in your decision. And if you decide to try St. John's wort, you may want to combine the assistance expected from the herb with help available from a therapist to work on the underlying cause.

The St. John's wort herbal supplement is widely available in health food stores, grocery stores, drug stores, etc. Some caution appears warranted in one's selection of a source for purchase because of reported inconsistencies in product quality control. My experience with the provider below, iHerb (papanature.com) has been a quality product with reliable and rapid service and very reasonable prices.

Regardless of what you decide about use an herbal supplement, I hope you will choose to seek relief from the symptoms. Life is a precious commodity. Time lost in feelings of hopelessness and helplessness is time that can never be regained.

Click Here to Close Window