| |
Picture of Saint John's Wort
St John´s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
02195CS-U WestEnd61 Royalty Free Photograph
St John's wort
IS297-028 Image Source Royalty Free Photograph
|
|
|
Bankoro, Noni, Immune System Builder |
Saint John's wort is an herbal remedy
for depression. Saint John's wort has also been used for the remedy of mental disorders and nerve pain.
St. John's wort -
St. John's wort is a plant
with yellow flowers.
Common Names--St. John's wort, hypericum, Klamath weed, goat
weed
Latin Name--Hypericum perforatum
- What St. John's Wort Is Used For
- St. John's wort has been used for centuries as an herbal
remedy to treat mental disorders
, nerve
pain and as an
antidepressant.
In ancient times, herbalists wrote about its use as a
sedative and a treatment for malaria, as well as a balm for wounds, burns,
and insect bites.
Today, St. John's wort is used by some for depression,
anxiety, and/or sleep
disorders.
Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
MindSoothe - Promote balanced mood and feelings of wellbeing
- Lessen general feelings of the blues
- Support a healthy motivated attitude
- Help alleviate environmental influences contributing to lower mood
(seasons)
- Lessen routine feelings of the blues commonly experienced by women
during the menstrual cycle
- Facilitate a reasonable attitude and lessen the burden on pressured
minds
- Promote a well-adjusted outlook and positive temperament
- Support healthy sleep patterns and routine appetite
How St. John's Wort Is Used
The flowering tops of St. John's wort are used to prepare teas and tablets
containing concentrated extracts.
What the Science Says about St. John's Wort
- There is some scientific evidence that St. John's wort is
useful for treating mild to moderate depression. However, two large studies,
one sponsored by NCCAM, showed that the herb was no more effective than
placebo in treating major depression of moderate severity.
- NCCAM is studying the use of St. John's wort in a wider
spectrum of mood disorders, including minor depression.
Side Effects and Cautions of St. John's Wort
- St. John's wort may cause increased sensitivity to
sunlight. Other side effects can include anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness,
gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headache, or sexual dysfunction.
- Research shows that St. John's wort interacts with some
drugs. The herb affects the way the body processes or breaks down many
drugs; in some cases, it may speed or slow a drug's breakdown. Drugs that
can be affected include:
Indinavir and possibly other drugs used to control HIV infection
Irinotecan and possibly other drugs used to treat cancer
Cyclosporine, which prevents the body from rejecting transplanted organs
Digoxin, which strengthens heart muscle contractions
Warfarin and related anticoagulants
Birth control pills
Antidepressants
- When combined with certain antidepressants, St. John's
wort may increase side effects such as nausea, anxiety, headache, and
confusion.
- St. John's wort is not a proven therapy for depression.
If depression is not adequately treated, it can become severe. Anyone who
may have depression should see a health care provider. There are effective
proven therapies available.
- It is important to inform your health care providers
about any herb or dietary supplement you
are using, including St. John's wort. This helps to ensure safe and
coordinated care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
-
Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
-
Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Depression - A serious medical illness. Low spirits or vitality. Gloomy or Sad. Deep dejection characterized by withdrawal and lack of response to stimulation. It is a serious medical illness. It’s more than just feeling "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. It’s feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for weeks at a time.
- Symptoms or signs of Depression
- Low self esteem
- Few of the synonyms of depression are the lack of
self-esteem, self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, self-love, and self-integrity.
- Excessive tearfulness
- Feelings get hurt almost without reason. Sadness sets in without
warning.
- Disturbed sleep patterns (insomnia or hypersomnia)
- Disturbed appetite (either loss of appetite or binge eating)
- Loss of libido
- Fatigue and loss of interest and motivation; Low spirits or vitality.
- No motivation to do chores. Loss of interest in favorite
hobbies.
- Irritability and anger
- There are many reasons for feeling angry, frustrated and depressed. Fluctuating hormones or lack of sleep can be some causes, while having too many responsibilities and not enough time to get everything done is another. For mild cases of irritability there are exercises, supplements and herbs
(MindSoothe)
that can calm runaway emotions, but for more severe cases prescription medication and counseling may be the best bet.
- Anxiety and Panic attacks
- Sufferers of panic attacks often report a fear or sense of dying, "going crazy", or experiencing a heart attack or "flashing vision", feeling faint or nauseated, heavy breathing, or losing control of themselves.
- Obsessive thoughts and other symptoms of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
|
