HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Maidment, I. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Maidment, I.

The use of St John's Wort in the treatment of depression

Pharmacy Department, Hellesdon Hospital, Drayton High Road, Norwich NR6 5BE

AIMS AND METHOD

To assess and update the data on the use of St John's Wort as an antidepressant. A Medline search was conducted for the period January 1985 to December 1999. The search included other aspects of the usage of St John's Wort, such as side-effects, mechanism of action and drug interactions.

RESULTS

While two overviews and four clinical trials have recently been published, there is little data comparing St John's Wort against therapeutic doses of standard antidepressants.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

St John's Wort is generally well tolerated, and an effective antidepressant. The current evidence indicates that it is less effective than standard antidepressants for severe depression. While some of the available data suggests equivalent efficacy as subtherapeutic doses of tricyclic antidepressants in mild to moderate depression this requires further confirmation. One recently published paper suggests that St John's Wort has equivalent efficacy to fluoxetine in mild to moderate depression. The appropriate therapeutic dose needs clarification.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Hotopf Hypericum extract was as effective as imipramine but had fewer adverse effects in mild to moderate depressionCommentary Evid. Based Ment. Health, May 1, 2001; 4(2): 56 - 56. [Full Text] [PDF]