Effectiveness of St John's Wort in Major Depression

Abstract

In this study, St John's wort was not effective for treatment of major depression.

Herbal Medicine in the United States: Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Regulation

“…22,23 Two recent studies found it to be ineffective for patients with severe depression. 24,25 Enthusiasm for the use of St. John's wort is tempered by the many well-documented drug interactions.…”

Effects of treatment with a commercially available St John's Wort product (Movina®) on cholesterol levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia treated with simvastatin

“…Movina † is used in Sweden for indications of mild depression, mild anxiety disorders, and occasional sleep disturbances. The documentation in depression is contradictory and studies where the effects seem to be poor have been published [9]. On the other hand, there are also studies suggesting a good antidepressive effect, well in line with conventional therapy [10].…”

St John's wort and imipramine-induced gene expression profiles identify cellular functions relevant to antidepressant action and novel pharmacogenetic candidates for the phenotype of antidepressant treatment response

“…1 Despite the controversy on the effectiveness of SJW as an antidepressant, the use of SJW has been widespread and several preparations containing SJW are commercially available in Europe and in the US. Even though two recent multicenter trials in the USA have failed, 2,3 randomized clinical studies have shown that SJW extracts are significantly superior to placebo and similarly effective as standard antidepressants in the treatment of mild to moderately severe depression. [4][5][6] Significant drug interactions have been reported with cyclosporine and protease inhibitors, 7,8 but a commonly cited advantage of SJW continues to be its favorable side effect profile.…”