St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

[Guest guest]

Wonderful report about St. John's wort. I have 2 comments I would like to add. 1) From what I have read and studied St. John's Wort is effective on mild to moderat depression. Several months back there was a story on the news about the ineffectivness of this herb, but what they didn't say was the test was on sever depression. This is an important fact to remember. Many times important information is left out of "news stories". 2) The interaction between perscription medications and herbs is very important. And this lead to one of my big buttons. The lack of information know by western medicine about herbs. Patients don't tell their doctors what they are taking and doctors don't ask. This lack of communication between patient and doctor can be very dangerous. If you are taking herbs and medication let your doctor know. He/She may not approve or agree (and most likely won't know what you are talking about) but let them know. Ask THEM to find out about any problems between your medication and herbs. Lets help to educate them.

I enjoy and continue to look forward to more of your wonderful and informative emails.

Namaste, Rita

PS. You know those leading causes of death. The first 3 are all considered to be "life style" causes. Those WE can do something about.

yogiguruji <yogiguruji wrote: Good Morning!ST. JOHN'S WORT(Hypericum perforatum) Aromatic, astringent, resolvent, and expectorant. Used in all pulmonary complaints, bladder troubles, in suppression of urine, dysentery, worms, diarrhea, hysteria and nervous depression, and other hemorrhages and jaundice. The flowers, leaves, and stems are all utilized and may help to inhibit viral infections, including herpes. Good for depression and nerve pain. Safety: St. John's wort taken alone usually does not cause immediate side effects. In a study designed to look for side effects, 3,250 people took St. John's wort for 4 weeks. Overall, about 2.4% experienced side effects. The most common were mild stomach discomfort (0.6%), allergic reactions—primarily rash—(0.5%), tiredness (0.4%), and restlessness (0.3%). In the extensive German experience with St. John's wort as a treatment for depression, there have been no published reports of serious adverse consequences from taking the herb alone. Animal studies involving enormous doses of St. John's wort extracts for 26 weeks have not shown any serious effects. There might be problems if you combine St. John's wort with other medications that cause increased sun sensitivity, such as sulfa drugs and the anti-inflammatory medication Feldene (piroxicam). In addition, the medications Prilosec (omeprazole) and Prevacid (lansoprazole) may increase the tendency of St. John's wort to cause photosensitivity. Like other antidepressants, St. John's wort can cause episodes of mania in individuals with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disease). A recent report also suggests that regular use of St. John's wort might also increase the risk of cataracts. While this is preliminary information, it may make sense to wear sunglasses when outdoors if you are taking this herb on a long-term basis. One study raised questions about possible antifertility effects of St. John's wort. When high concentrations of St. John's wort were placed in a test tube with hamster sperm and ova, the sperm were damaged and less able to penetrate the ova. However, since it is unlikely that this much St. John's wort can actually come in contact with sperm and ova when they are in the body rather than in a test tube, these results may not be meaningful in real life. Older reports suggested that St. John's wort works like the class of drugs known as MAO inhibitors. This led to a number of warnings, including avoiding cheese and decongestants while taking St. John's wort. However, St. John's wort is no longer believed to act like an MAO inhibitor, and these warnings are now thought to be groundless. Herbal experts have warned for some time that combining St. John's wort with drugs in the Prozac family (SSRIs) might raise serotonin too much and cause a number of serious problems. Recently, case reports of such events have begun to trickle in. This is a potentially serious risk. Do not combine St. John's wort with prescription antidepressants except on the specific advice of a physician. Since some antidepressants, such as Prozac, linger in the blood for quite some time, you also need to exercise caution when switching from a drug to St. John's wort. The antimigraine drug sumatriptan (Imitrex) and the pain-killing drug tramadol also raise serotonin levels and might interact similarly with St. John's wort. Perhaps the biggest concern with St. John's wort is the possibility that it may decrease the effectiveness of various medications, including protease inhibitors (for HIV infection), cyclosporine (for organ transplants), digoxin (for heart disease), warfarin (a blood thinner), chemotherapy drugs, oral contraceptives, olanzapine or clozapine (for schizophrenia), and theophylline (for asthma). Furthermore, if you are taking St. John's wort and one of these medications at the same time and then stop taking the herb, blood levels of the drug may rise. This rise in drug level could be dangerous in certain circumstances. These interactions could lead to catastrophic consequences. Indeed, St. John's wort appears to have caused several cases of heart, kidney, and liver transplant rejection by interfering with the action of cyclosporine. Also, many people with HIV take St. John's wort in the false belief that the herb will fight the AIDS virus. The unintended result may be to reduce the potency of standard AIDS drugs. In addition, the herb might decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, presenting a risk of pregnancy. it is recommend that individuals taking any critical medication should avoid using St. John's wort until more is known. It is probably advisable on general principles to discontinue all herbs and supplements prior to surgery and anesthesia, due to the possibility of unpredictable interactions. However, there does not appear to be any specific foundation to publicized claims that St. John's wort interacts with anesthetic drugs. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established. Dosage: The standard dosage of St. John's wort is 300 mg 3 times a day of an extract standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin. A few new products on the market are standardized to hyperforin content (usually 2 to 3%) instead of hypericin. These are taken at the same dosage. Some people take 500 mg twice a day, or 600 mg in the morning and 300 mg in the evening. Yet another form of St. John's wort has also passed double-blind studies. This form contains little hyperforin, and is taken at a dose of 250 mg twice daily. If the herb bothers your stomach, take it with food. ***Remember that the full effect takes 4 weeks to develop.*** Contraindications: If you are taking a prescription drug for mild to moderate depression, switching to St. John's wort may be a reasonable idea if you would prefer taking an herb. To avoid overlapping treatments, the safest approach is to stop taking the drug and allow it to wash out of your system before starting St. John's wort. Consult with your doctor on how much time is necessary. However, if you are taking medication for severe depression, switching over to St. John's wort is not a good idea. The herb probably won't work well enough, and you may sink into a dangerous depression. Antidepressant drugs, including MAO inhibitors, SSRIs, and tricyclics; or possibly the drugs tramadol or sumatriptan (Imitrex):Do not take St. John's wort at the same time. Actually, you need to let the medication flush out of your system for a while (perhaps weeks, depending on the drug) before you start the herb. Digoxin, cyclosporine, protease inhibitors (for HIV infection), oral contraceptives, amitriptyline, Coumadin (warfarin), theophylline, chemotherapy drugs, newer antipsychotic medications (such asolanzapine and clozapine) or, indeed, any critical medication: St. John's wort might cause the drug to be less effective. Medications that cause sun sensitivity such as sulfa drugs and the anti-inflammatory medication Feldene (piroxicam), as well as Prilosec (omeprazole) or Prevacid (lansoprazole): Keep in mind that St. John's wort might have an additive effect. Andrew "Guruji" LMT, MT-BC, CAPeacefulmind.comAlternative medicine and therapiesfor healing mind, body & spirit!**************************************************WWW.PEACEFULMIND.COM Sponsors Alternative Answers-HEALING NATURALLY- this is the premise of HOLISTIC HEALTH. 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