by Ed Donner

Created on: October 22, 2009

Let's start out by personalizing this question. Will St. John's Wort effectively cure your depression? The short answer to this question is, "It depends". Sorry if you were hoping for a simple "yes" or "no" answer, but when it comes to depression or to any mental health issues for that matter, you rarely find magic bullet cures. The complexity of the issue is better addressed by rephrasing the question: "When is St. John's Wort most likely to be effective for depression?"

The Treatment: St. John's Wort

First, let's look at the proposed treatment for depression: St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort goes by the scientific name of Hypericum Perforatum. It is a wild-growing plant with yellow flowers. It has been used for thousands of years in herbal, homeopathic, folk, and ancient medicine as a treatment for a variety of problems, including what we nowadays call depression and anxiety. Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine" from ancient Greece, prescribed St. John's Wort! Unfortunately, Hippocrates won't be of much help to us in our current quest because he prescribed St. John's Wort not for depression, but for demonic possession.

Still, St. John's Wort as a treatment for depression has gained some respectability in modern times. It is widely used as a treatment for depression around the world, and especially in Europe. In Germany, according to hypericum.com, it is used as the treatment of choice for depression, anxiety and sleep disorders 50% of the time, more than any prescription medication. In contrast, Prozac is prescribed only 2% of the time for these disorders.

Carefully controlled, double blind studies have demonstrated that Hypericum (i.e., St.-John's-Wort) is just as effective as prescription medications, and more effective than a placebo (a pill with no active ingredients). Furthermore, St. John's Wort was found to have fewer side effects than the prescription medications. To add to these benefits, compared to prescription medications, St. John's Wort is cheaper-about 25 cents per day.

St. John's Wort supplement is basically an extract of the essential oils from the flowers, leaves, and stems of the St. John's Wort plant. St. John's Wort has been classified by the FDA as a dietary supplement, and not as a drug. Therefore it is not regulated by the FDA. However, don't be lulled into believing that just because St. John's Wort is derived from a naturally occurring form of wildlife and is not regulated by the FDA that it is not a drug. Technically, any substance

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