Medicines St John s wort

In modern European medicine, St. John s wort extracts are included in many over-the-counter and prescription drugs for management of mild depression, and have clinical implications for bed-wetting and nightmares in children. The extracts are included in diuretic preparations and the oil is taken orally using a teaspoon to help heal gastritis, gastric ulcers, and inflammatory conditions of the colon. The oil is also used extensively externally in burn and wound remedies. 

Coumarins + Herbal medicines St John s wort (Hypericum perforatum)... 

Some studies compare dietary supplements to sub-therapeutic dosages of prescription medicine. For example, St. John s wort is compared to some of the tricyclic antidepressants. However, the given doses of amitriptyline and imipramine were below the recommended antidepressant doses. 

St John s wort is a yellow flowering plant that was first used medicinally by the ancient Greeks as a diuretic and a treatment for wounds and menstrual disorders. This herbal remedy is widely prescribed in Germany, where it has been studied extensively in clinical trials as a treatment for depression. In most countries, including the UK, it is available over the counter. In Ireland it is available only by prescription. Recently, a team of German scientists led by Klaus Linde at the University of Munich published a comprehensive review of 29 clinical trials of St John s wort, involving more than 5,000 depressed patients. They concluded that it is more effective than placebos and as effective as standard antidepressants in the treatment of major depression. 

Hyperforin, the major constituent in Hypericum perforatum (St. John s Wort), inhibits the enzymatic activity of 5-lipoxygenase and COX-1 in platelets, acts as a dual inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase and COX-1, and might have some potential in inflammatory and allergic diseases connected to eicosanoids (32), Several Hypericum species are of medicinal value in Asia and the Pacific. One of these is Hypericum erectum Thunb., the potential of which as a source of 5-lipoxygenase is given here. 

Lickey ME, Gordon B. (1991). Medicine and Mental Illness. New York W. H. Freeman and Company. Linde K, Ramirez G, Mulrow CD, Pauls A, Weidenhammer W, Melchart D. (1996). St. John s wort for depression—an overview and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. BMJ. 313(7052) 253-58. Lingjaerde 0, Foreland AR, Magnusson A. (1999). Can winter depression be prevented by Ginkgo biloba extract A placebo-controlled trial. Acta Psychlatr Scand. 100(1) 62-66. 

A second part consists of two chapters covering other somatic interventions, including complementary, alternative, and naturopathic medicine approaches (such as St. John s wort), as well as more aggressive treatments less commonly used in children and adolescents, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). 

CAM. Data about 145 boys and 35 girls, with a mean age of 10 years, were obtained. The most popular form of alternative therapy was vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (51%), followed by nutritional supplements (14%), herbs and botanical medicines (11%), massage (9%), chiropractic (4%), homeopathy (4%), and acupuncture (2%). (Horrigan et ah, 1998). An anecdotal report described the use of St. John s wort by four teenagers who were under psychiatric care (Walter and Rey, 1999). Three of the patients had been reluctant to reveal this to their psychiatrist, believing the doctor had no interest in alternative medicine or would disapprove of it. 

St. John s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a perennial wildflower indigenous to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia (Fig. 1) and has been used for medicinal purposes for over two millennia. As far back as the early 16th century, St. John s wort was used primarily to treat anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. In the late 20th and early 21st century, St. John s wort has been recommended for the treatment of mild to moderate depression (7). In support of its use for the treatment of mild to moderate depression, a number of clinical trials have demonstrated that St. John s wort has comparable efficacy to the tricyclic antidepressants (i.e., imipramine) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., fluoxetine and paroxetine) (8-13). 

Botanical (herbal) medicines Coenzyme Qio(ubidecarenone) and St. John s wort are associated most often with a decrease in the effects of COUMADIN ... 

HYPERICUM (ST. JOHN S WORT) IN FOLK MEDICINE AND TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE... 

Herbal remedies have become a major component of American health care. Botanicals like ginseng, ma huang, St. John s wort, and valerian are now household words throughout the world, and the sales of herbal medicine are increasing exponentially. 

HERB Any such plant used as a medicine, seasoning, or food. Mint, thyme, basil, St. John s wort, and sage are herbs. 

Because herbal medicines are not classified as drugs by the FDA, the manufacturers of herbals cannot make claims that their product is effective at treating any disease or disorder. They can, however, make more general health claims. For example, companies that sell St. John s wort cannot say their product is useful for treating depression or anxiety, but they can say St. John s wort... 

Many herbal drugs are believed to reduce anxiety and depression The PDR-HM lists 47 herbals used to manage anxiety disorders. Of these, St. John s wort and kava (Piper methysticum) are popular in the United States, and although they are not proven medicines, preliminary evidence suggests they may be effective. 

Hyperforin has been shown to increase the activity of CYP3 A4 and CYP2C9 by binding nuclear receptors that regulate gene expression of certain CYP-encoding genes.18 As a result, St. John s Wort can have the opposite effect as cimetidine. Patients who take St. John s Wort in conjunction with their prescribed medicines may find that their... 

The above report eventually led to the NIH s Office of Alternative Medicine (now NCCAM) to call for a trial comparing St John s wort with the popular antidepressant Prozac. NCCAM, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Office of... 

Hypericum perforatum (St John s wort) (Hypericaceae) widely used as antidepressant herbal medicine... 

Several chemicals are found in this short, yellow-flowering, wild-growing plant they are considered to alter the balance of some neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA and norepinephrine. St John s wort is an inducer of CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and P-gp and is known to interact with several commonly used drugs, Topical or homeopathic preparations of St John s wort are not likely to interact with prescribed medicines,... 

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