St. John's Wort (hypericum) for HIV?

[Guest guest]

St. John's Wort (hypericum) for HIV/AIDS? JoAnn Guest May 09, 2005 11:57

PDT

Can St. John's Wort boost mood? -St. John's Wort(Hypericum)for HIV/AIDS?

 

 

St. John's Wort -LATIN NAME: Hypericum perforatum FAMILY NAME:

Clusiaceae

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/bookshelf/Books/54/13.cfm

 

St. John's wort is a happy plant. Just looking at its yellow,

star-shaped flowers is enough to lift my spirits. But in the winter of

1998, I reached for this weedy perennial for more than its aesthetic

qualities.

 

Knowing the herb is a proven antidepressant as well as a potential

treatment for a variety of ailments, I supplemented with St. John's wort

capsules four times a day to shake my winter doldrums.

 

Optimistic and energetic by nature, I typically work 12-hour days at my

computer, walk daily in and around my six-acre herbal vineyard, and

travel the world to forage for plants or talk about them. One of my

associates jokes that she hardly has the energy to keep up with me, even

though her years tally far fewer than my 70.

 

Thankfully, I have never suffered from debilitating, down-and-out

depression. But every fall, as the daylight hours wane, my mood fades

too. I lose my usual enthusiasm. I feel out of sorts.

 

Looking back, I think I've always been less motivated in fall and

winter. As a boy living in the South, where sunlight is plentiful, at

least in summer, this was not a problem for me. As an adult living in

Maryland, farther from the equator, my annual dose of sun is not as

potent. And I sense the subtle effects.

 

In recent years, science has given a name to this common human

experience: seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. While it is a form of

depression--affecting 10 million people in the United States, the

National Institute of Mental Health reports--it usually is mild and

short lived. When there is less daytime, our brains don't get as much

light by way of our eyes.

 

That translates into fewer nourishing " neurochemicals " that fuel our

sense of well-being.

 

Annual jaunts to Peru and other South American climes are my favorite

" antidote " for the winter blues. But in 1998, I had no trip planned. So,

instead, I took standardized hypericum capsules for the first time.

After all, years of research and conversations with colleagues and

friends had convinced me hypericum was not to be ignored. Now, I

consider it part of my herbal arsenal, a kind of vacation in a bottle,

when a trip to the Amazon is out of the question.

 

What St. John's Wort Is and What It Can Do

 

You've probably heard something about St. John's wort & shy; & shy; or St. Joan's

wort, as my herbalist friend Susun Weed, author of Breast Cancer? Breast

Health! The Wise Woman Way, dubs it. Maybe you know of someone who

claims this herb--in capsule form, tincture, or tea--has helped her ward

off SAD or full-blown depression.

 

Hypericum's been much more popular in the United States since 1997 when

a national television program aired a report on the herb's reputed

antidepressant properties. The plant & shy; & shy;and products made from it

& shy; & shy;became downright hard to find.

 

Now, it's available everywhere & shy; & shy;in health food stores, pharmacies, and

supermarkets and in products from well-known vitamin manufacturers. Even

 

in potato chips.

 

Its reputation is growing beyond that of an antidepressant. Some of the

phytochemicals in St. John's wort are believed to be helpful in staving

off HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and in the topical treatment of

herpes viruses and first-degree burns, cuts, and wounds.

 

They show promise, too, in easing the pain and swelling of arthritis and

 

fibromyalgia and the discomfort associated with menopause and

perimenopause as well as other medical conditions.

 

That's why St. John's wort is among Duke's Dozen.

 

This pretty perennial is native to Europe, where its use dates back

2,000 years. In their book, Rational Therapy--A Physician's Guide to

Herbal Medicine, Volker Schulz, Rudolf Hansel, and Varro E. Tyler say it

 

grows wild as a weed in Asia and North and South America. I find it

grows in most temperate climates, especially in dry sunny locations.

 

Some people claim the herb gets its name from St. John's Day (June 24),

when it typically blooms, although there are other explanations. Wort,

incidentally, has no relation to the unsightly skin growth (spelled

warts) that toads are infamous & shy; & shy; incorrectly--for passing along. It

simply is old English for " plant. " In earlier times, the herb was said

to expel evil spirits in those who ingested it. The Latin name,

Hypericum, is based on the Greek word for " over an apparition. "

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

In some parts of the country, St. John's wort is better known by its

common name, klamath weed. In California, where cattle have become

photosensitive after grazing on large amounts of klamath, a movement has

 

sprung up to eradicate the wild weed. There is even a monument, erected

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to indicate success in biological

 

control of the klamath weed in California. And, in 1998, California was

having trouble supplying the demand for St. John's wort.

 

 

 

Emotional Health

 

Schulz, Hansel, and Tyler suggest that Paracelsus, the sixteenth-century

 

Swiss physician and alchemist, knew of hypericum's effectiveness in

treating psychiatric conditions and that German poet-physician Justinus

Kerner reported its use in mood disorders in the early nineteenth

century.

 

In more recent years, though, the herb was pushed aside in favor of

synthetic antidepressants. Then, in the late twentieth century, reports

of its usefulness began to pour in once again.

 

Most came from Germany, where the value of herbal medicines has been

more readily embraced.

 

In 1984, Commission E (a German panel of experts roughly equivalent to

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved hypericum for relief of

mild to moderate depression and anxiety associated with it.

 

As study after study cited its effectiveness, St. John's wort became the

 

leading antidepressant in Germany.

 

There, it outsells even Prozac, the synthetic pill Americans began

gobbling up in the late 1980s.

 

We're slow to catch on in America. Most of the studies showing

hypericum's value as an antidepressant have been done abroad. In 1996,

the British Medical Journal published an overview of 23 clinical

studies, involving more than 1,700 patients.

 

It concluded that hypericum has antidepressant properties, particularly

in mild to moderate cases. And it said the herb was more effective than

a placebo and just as potent as prescription antidepressants, without

their side effects.

 

I'm almost positive I'm improving my emotional health by keeping St.

John's wort on hand and using it when I feel the need.

 

Oddly, this herb has gained so much attention overseas, Americans often

are surprised when I tell them hypericum grows on its own in each of the

 

50 states. Early colonists likely brought it with them, either

intentionally or by accident. Perhaps the tiny seeds hitched a ride on

some food or other supply the settlers carried to the New World.

 

Thanks to our ancestors, you might have your own supply of this

wonderful herb just down the road a bit or on your own soil, as I do.

Although I never purposely cultivated St. John's wort until I

established my Green Farmacy Garden in 1998, I suppose you could say it

grew on me. The weed has a mind of its own in my garden, popping up

wherever it likes, to heights of one to two feet, or three feet in an

organic garden.

 

HERB LORE AND MORE

Native Americans also turned to the healing qualities of St. John's

wort, which early colonists brought to the New World. Interestingly,

their uses are not the ones considered most effective today.

 

The Menominees compounded it with blackcap raspberry root and used it

for kidney troubles. A compound containing the root was used to treat

tuberculosis.

 

The Meskwakis applied a powder of the boiled root of St. John's wort to

draw poison from the bite of the water moccasin. The Cherokees, too,

chewed on the root, swallowing a portion and applying the rest as a

poultice for snakebites.

 

The Cherokees took infusions of hypericum for fever and sniffed the

crushed plant as a remedy for nosebleeds. Infusions also were used for

bloody flux and bowel complaints. A compound decoction was taken to

promote menstruation.

 

The Seminoles used infusion of roots for rat sickness and blocked

urination and bowels. The Choctaw relied on a decoction of root for

colic and as a wash for sore eyes.

 

The Miwok Indians depended on a decoction of the plant as a wash for

running sores. It was thought to be a dermatological aid, perhaps

because of its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, and it was

used to break fevers and counteract venereal disease.

 

 

 

A Bountiful Garden and a Beautiful Bouquet

 

My wild-but-welcome St. John's wort includes Hypericum perforatum and

Hypericum punctatum, 2 of about 400 species of the plant. My two happen

to be among seven I studied in my years with the U.S. Department of

Agriculture. All proved rich in at least one major active ingredient,

hypericin, the focus of many studies.

 

Each year, around the third week of June, my plants bloom on schedule

and continue to flower sporadically through first frost. (They may lapse

 

into quiescence during droughts, only to liven up after the rains

return.) It's as if they know I expect them. Their yellow petals are

speckled with orange and reddish dots that ooze a purplish oil when

pinched. Some herbalists liken the dots--where the active ingredients

reside--to the pores of St. John's skin. When the flowers are steeped in

 

oil, the " blood " in the pores moves into the oil. My Hypericum punctatum

 

seems to have more of the purplish compounds. Just crushing it stains my

 

fingers.

 

Sometimes, on summer strolls around my home, I gather the plants'

flowering tops--so rich in phytochemicals. I could use them to make my

own extract but generally prefer to take standardized capsules. That

way, I know I'm getting the same amount of active ingredients with every

 

dose--something I can't be sure of with the plants. Just like humans,

each one of them is chemically unique.

 

St. John's wort also makes a beautiful bouquet. You probably can find

the plants in summer at your local greenhouse. Although these

commercially grown plants won't be as medicinally active, all St. John's

 

wort seems to contain an aromatic called cineole.

In studies, large quantities of cineole enabled rats to zip through a

maze more rapidly, whether the compound was inhaled, applied to their

skins, or force-fed to them.

 

Maybe a mere whiff of these mildly scented blooms can help us get happy.

 

Why not place a pretty bouquet on a dining table or nightstand?

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

You can buy potato chips and other snack foods sprinkled with St. John's

 

wort. They may taste good and likely won't hurt you. Unfortunately, they

 

probably don't have therapeutic value, because they don't contain enough

 

of the herb to make a difference.

 

 

 

How St. John's Wort Can Help

 

St. John's wort contains dozens of active ingredients, such as

hypericin, pseudohypericin, protohypericin, and hyperforin. Throughout

history, myriad external and internal uses have been reported. Here are

the ones I believe are the most scientifically sound:

 

Burns, cuts, and other wounds. Modern science backs up some of the

folklore surrounding hypericum, including its ability to promote healing

 

on our skin, not just underneath it.

 

Commission E has approved the topical use of St. John's wort oil for

primary and secondary blunt and sharp injuries and for burns, skin

damage caused by heat, caustics, electricity, or radiation. Hypericum is

 

both an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic, which may help prevent

infection. One study in Germany showed hypericum ointment speeded

healing and lessened the severity of scarring.

 

Weed says the oil also reduces skin damage from radiation treatments.

Women who applied the oil before and after treatments report their skin

stayed healthy and flexible, even after dozens of exposures. Some

suggest it may quicken healing from sunburn.

 

Depression. According to the World Health Organization, depression

affects 3 to 5 percent of people. It's characterized by flagging mood,

lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities, disturbed eating

and sleeping patterns, low self-esteem, indecisiveness, irritability,

fatigue, and hopelessness.

 

In recent years, science has begun to shed light on depression--that its

 

causes are environmental and biochemical, and that often it runs in

families.

We also have a new understanding of how depression occurs: through an

imbalance in neurotransmitters, or feel-good chemicals such as

serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood.

 

A CASE IN POINT

Kimberly's Story

 

Can St. John's wort boost mood when combined with synthetic

antidepressants?

 

The major pharmaceutical makers may not want to know.

But plenty of folks who suffer from depression tell me they do--and some

 

forward-thinking physicians are helping their patients find combinations

 

that work.

 

Kimberly B., a fortysomething career woman in Virginia, who asked that

her real name not be used, has fought mild but chronic depression since

she was a teenager. " I thought I was lazy, until I learned in my late

twenties what depression was, " she says.

 

Kimberly says talk therapy helped her to " see differently, " to view

life's glass as half-full and not half-empty. She learned that

depression could be hereditary. " A couple of my cousins have bipolar

disorder, " she says. " I think a couple of relatives struggled with

alcoholism. They drank to deal with their depression. "

 

Kimberly asked her doctor about synthetic antidepressants. " I wanted to

know if I could feel better, the way normal people feel, " she says. She

tried commonly prescribed dosages of Prozac, then Zoloft, and then

Paxil. But the side effects--nervousness, agitation, and

irritability--wouldn't pass. Finally, with her doctor's help Kimberly

settled on a " baby dose " of Luvox, a selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and

depression. Still, she says, the benefits seemed small.

 

Then, in 1997, Kimberly read the news reports about St. John's wort, and

 

with her doctor's okay, began taking 300 milligrams containing 0.3

percent hypericin three times a day, in addition to the Luvox. (Note: I

do not recommend combining hypericum with synthetic antidepressants

without your doctor's approval.)

 

Kimberly says she noticed the effect almost right away. " In fact, by

about the third day of using both, I felt overstimulated, so I cut back

on the Luvox to every other day. Sometimes, I skip a dose or two of the

St. John's wort. Otherwise, I haven't had any problems. I don't avoid

any particular foods and, generally, I feel good. "

 

 

 

This newfound knowledge has led to pharmaceuticals that target specific

brain chemicals. One class of antidepressants called monoamine-oxidase

inhibitors, or MAOIs, help raise the brain's supply of norepinephrine

and dopamine. A newer class, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or

 

SSRIs, such as Prozac and Zoloft, ensure an abundance of serotonin.

 

While studies show these Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved

drugs are effective for many, there is a price to pay--not only in

dollars at the pharmacy but in side effects including dizziness,

fatigue, dry mouth, constipation, and sexual dysfunction. Further,

people taking the MAOIs must avoid certain foods and medications that

interact with the drugs.

 

In the United States, Prozac is the best-selling antidepressant. But in

Germany, about 200,000 prescriptions a month are filled for just one

brand of St. John's wort, compared to about 30,000 a month for Prozac,

says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., Sc.D., professor emeritus of pharmacognosy

at Purdue University.

 

In German studies involving 3,250 people, 80 percent found partial or

complete freedom from depressive symptoms, Dr. Tyler says in " The Honest

 

Herbalist--The Secrets of Saint-John's-Wort, " published in Prevention

magazine.

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

While St. John's wort has been proven effective against unipolar

depressions, evidence does not support its use in treating bipolar

disorder, a condition in which sufferers " cycle " between depression and

euphoria.

 

 

 

In the United States, researchers are only beginning to study the herb's

 

medicinal value. A three-year National Institute of Mental Health study

at Duke University in North Carolina is comparing St. John's wort with

Zoloft, or sertraline, the silver bullet in pharmaceutical treatment of

depression in this country. I am, like many, eager to see the results.

These university trials satisfy something I have been urging for a

decade: that new studies on pharmaceuticals compare them not only with

placebo but also with a more promising herbal alternative. I'd like to

see the FDA require that for every pharmaceutical so that we can see how

 

the herbal remedy compares with the synthetic drug. But the FDA doesn't

oversee herbal products, and there's little financial incentive for big

drug manufacturers to test herbs, because they can't patent them. So my

plea for mandatory comparisons with herbal alternatives as well as

placebo remains unanswered. But the studies at Duke (no relation to

myself) are at least one start in the right direction.

 

You'll most often see hypericin touted on St. John's wort product labels

 

in the United States. But look for hyperforin, too. In Germany, newer

studies are focusing on that chemical's action in the treatment of

depression.

 

Herpes. St. John's wort may have antiviral benefits when applied

topically to the oozing, painful blisters of genital herpes. The

contagious viral infection affects about 45 million Americans, according

 

to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

 

Herpes simplex II typically causes genital herpes, which is spread

mainly through sexual contact with someone who has the virus. It lies

dormant in the body between outbreaks. While oral and topical treatments

 

can help reduce the number of outbreaks and their severity, there is no

cure.

 

St. John's wort contains proven antivirals that can help speed healing

when applied topically. It also can help heal cold sores and fever

blisters caused by herpes simplex I, as well as the blisters of its

cousins, chickenpox and shingles (varicella-zoster).

 

Shingles afflicts about 20 percent of adults who suffered a nasty, itchy

 

bout of chickenpox in their earlier years. It is most common in people

over 50. This virus, too, hides out in the body. When it erupts--often

as the result of illness or stress--it causes pain and a blistering

rash. The pain may linger for years after the visible sores have healed.

 

 

 

Hypericum contains analgesic properties that may help to quell the pain.

 

If I had shingles, I would add a bit of capsaicin topically to my St.

John's wort--but only after any open sores had healed.

 

Studies in the early 1990s showed hypericin is active against herpes

simplex I and II. Herbalist Susun Weed also believes hypericum's

antiviral powers pass through the skin and into the nerve endings,

preventing and checking a variety of problems. She suggests hypericum

internally (25 drops tincture) and externally, maybe every four hours,

for shingles, cold sores, and genital herpes.

 

FROM MY SCIENCE NOTEBOOK

In Europe, hypericum has a long history as a treatment for depression,

anxiety, and unrest. Research shows it boosts feel-good brain chemicals

such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

 

For many years, it was believed hypericum acted primarily as a

monoamine-oxidase inhibitor, or MAOI, enhancing dopamine and

norepinephrine. The warning was given to avoid alcohol, smoked or

pickled foods, and certain medications for allergies and colds, which

might interact with hypericum, as with synthetic MAOIs.

 

Now, it appears the hypericum link was overplayed. My friend Jerry Cott,

 

Ph.D., chief of the Pharmacologic Treatment Program at the National

Institute of Mental Health, says the MAOI role is minor. It is more

likely, as so often found in the plant world, that the compounds in St.

John's wort work in synergy. They attack their opponent together, like a

 

disciplined basketball team headed for the championship.

 

Consumers are likely to experience fewer side effects with the herbal

remedy because of the shared actions of the compounds, says Varro E.

Tyler, Ph.D., Sc.D., professor emeritus of pharmocognosy at Purdue

University. Newer research on hypericum, for example, shows it also acts

 

as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), increasing the

mood-enhancing brain chemical serotonin.

 

I believe the empirically proven herbs are milder and safer because of

this synergy. And their therapeutic effects may be more complete.

 

 

 

HIV/AIDS. The NIAID says as many as 900,000 Americans may be infected

with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. It's the virus that causes

AIDS, a major worldwide epidemic, first reported in the United States in

 

1981.

 

The virus kills or cripples the immune system's T-cells--the good

guys--and leaves its victims unable to fight infection and certain

cancers. They become susceptible to opportunistic infections, such as

cytomegalovirus and herpes. In healthy people, the microbes that carry

such infections don't usually cause illness. For people with HIV, they

can be deadly.

 

HIV is passed along most commonly by sexual contact with an infected

partner. The sharing of needles and syringes or contact with infected

blood also can spread it. Mothers can transmit the virus to their babies

 

during pregnancy or birth, NIAID says.

 

Some people have flu-like fever, headache, and fatigue a month or two

after exposure. Severe symptoms may not occur for a decade or more. As

the immune system weakens, signs such as swollen glands and weight loss

begin to show. In advanced stages, HIV is categorized as AIDS. The virus

 

can be detected by blood tests.

 

Standard treatments for HIV/AIDS include drugs such as AZT that

interrupt an early stage of virus replication, slowing the virus in the

body and delaying the onset of infections. Other drugs called protease

inhibitors, such as saquinivir, interrupt the virus at later stages.

Because HIV can become resistant to the drugs, often they are used in

costly combinations, or drug " cocktails. "

 

These cocktails can run as high as $18,000 a year. They require extreme

diligence on the part of the patient, and they are not without side

effects--nausea, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal disturbances among them.

Patients must also be alert to signs of interaction with other drugs

that can result in serious side effects, the NIAID acknowledges.

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

Is it a placebo or is it hypericum? Clinical studies show a strong

relationship between placebo pills and mood enhancement. In other words,

people who think they are receiving medication may feel better, even if

the pill is a dud. I'd rather " fool " myself with an herb than a costly

pharmaceutical and the side effects that go with it.

 

 

 

If I suffered from HIV/AIDS, I would also try the less expensive, safer

herbal alternatives, including St. John's wort.

 

I first became curious about its role against HIV in the early 1980s.

Gordon Cragg, Ph.D., at the Natural Products Branch of the National

Cancer Institute (NCI), called and asked where we might be able to find

hypericin. " In my garden, " I told him. But it was September, past the

plant's flowering season.

 

Daniel Meruelo, Ph.D., professor of pathology at New York University

School of Medicine, wanted to examine the potential antiretroviral

activities of hypericin in clinical trials.

 

The AIDS connection was new to me, and exciting. The following spring I

was able to supply them with hypericum.

 

Dr. Meruelo was looking at hypericin in test tube studies, especially

when combined with ultraviolet light. As with certain cancer treatments,

researchers direct the tiny flashlight-like rays to hot spots where the

virus is.

 

Dr. Cragg says hypericin itself did not appear to be the silver bullet

in the NCI AIDS screen, but the work continues. Hypericum contains many

ingredients that may help slow HIV. Dennis V.C. Awang, of the American

Botanical Council Advisory board, has noted that pseudohypericin can

reduce the spread of HIV, at least in the test tube. At my urging, Jerry

Cott, Ph.D., of NIMH may look at Hypericum hypericoides, yet another

species. Hypericum also shows promise in fending off opportunistic

infections, such as cytomegalovirus.

 

Hypericum might be doubly useful in treating AIDS because of its

antiviral and antidepressant properties, says a 1995 article in the

Psychiatric Times.

 

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that half of

all people with a medical illness also are depressed. Adding St. John's

wort to the HIV/AIDS weaponry might boost patient morale and the immune

system, possibly slowing the virus.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make your home page