Common Use: St. John's Wort has been used traditionally as an herbal treatment for anxiety and depression. It is an effective astringent that promotes wound healing and has antiviral properties that can counter herpes simplex, flu viruses and is being investigated as a treatment for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Location grown and found: A short plant with numerous yellow flowers, wild-growing bushy plant, commonly found in dry, gravely soils, fields, and sunny places in many parts of the world, including eastern North America and the pacific coast. Native to many parts of the world including Europe where it was first introduced and now the United States. Found growing wild on roadsides, woods, meadows, and waste places in northern California, southern Oregon and Colorado.

Folk Lore, Legends, Myths and Stories: St. John's Wort is a plant named after the biblical figure, "John the Baptist". It is in peak bloom on June 24th, the birthday of John the Baptist. It is beleived to be most potent if harvested for medicinal purposes on St. John's Day. St. John's Wort predates Christianity. Wort is an old English word for plant or root. Once believed if you stepped on a St. John's Wort plant at twilight, you might be carried off on a magic fairy horse and not return until daylight.
Folklore and fairy tales abound relating to this very pretty herb. It is thought to have the power to drive out devils, predict how soon a person would die, predict if a wedding would, or would not take place.
It has a 2,400-year history of safe and effective usage in folk, herbal, and ancient medicine. St. John's Wort was prescribed as medicine by Hippocrates himself. St. John's Wort's generic name, Hypericum, shows that the herb was highly regarded, having power over evil spirits. It was taken from two Greek words, hyper and eikon (‘over’ and ‘apparition’).
It's ancient name Fuga Daemonum (Scare Devil) testifies to its assumed ability to repel demons. From earliest times people have accepted as perfectly natural the idea that man has a body and a soul. At death the body was easily disposed of, but what to do with the soul or spirit was a different matter. Rituals were developed and performed to honor the departed as fear of what the disembodied spirit might do to the living. This was a way for people to protect themselves from the wrath of the dead. Demons and uncanny beings who had never lived among mortals was also handled by rituals. One way to protect oneself was to use the magic of this powerful plant.
With the spread of early Christianity throughout Europe, the plant became associated with St. John the Baptist (not St. John the Beloved). The yellow stamens and bright golden flowers suggested the light of the sun. This was "proof" of the herb’s effectiveness because spirits of darkness "hated the light" and would they come to it. Satan had no power over anyone who carried with them St. John’s Wort. On St. John's Day, June 25, the petals are soaked in olive oil for days to produce a blood red oil known as the "blood of Christ." The plant is hung over the doors or windows, and it bleeds red oil on the day in August that he was beheaded.
In some lands it was burned in huge midsummer bonfires (known as St. John's Fires) for various magical purposes where they would sing, dance, pray, and perfom magical or symbolic ceremonies. Midsummer's Eve is a major holiday in Sweden that coincides with the summer soltice and the presence of the midnight sun, great bonfires are lit and large celebrations take place filled with festivities.
Today it remains a very useful natural dye and as an herbal remedy for certain illnesses, wounds, etc. It was originally used for treating insanity. Among some races it is still customary to burn the herb; the smoke and flame being considered potent for dispelling all types of evil influences.

Medicinal Use: St. John's Wort has been administered in the treatment of many illnesses. The Kings American Dispensatory, from 1898, lists St. John's Wort as astringent, sedative and diuretic with undoubted power over the nervous system. The most well known action of St. John's Wort is in repairing nerve damage, reducing pain, inflammation and in the treatment of depression. The herb has been used to relieve menstrual cramping, sciatica arthritis and more. It has a favorable action on the secretion of bile and giving it soothing action in the digestive system.
Recent controlled studies have shown positive results in treating patients with mild to moderate depression. Improvement was shown with symptoms of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, headache and exhaustion with no reported side effects.

Historical Medicinal Properties and uses: The blossoms have been used in folk medicine to relieve, gastritis, diarrhea and nausea, in the treatment of incontinence and bedwetting in children, insomnia, hysteria, stress reactions, neuralgia, rheumatic aches and pains, menstrual cramps and irregularity, anemia, headaches, chest congestion, catarrh, nervous conditions, blood purifier, expectorant, slow healing wounds, blisters, scalds, diuretic, digestion stimulant, bladder ailments, swellings, stab wounds, shingles, gout, skin ulcers, depression, worms, colic, intestinal problems, jaundice, thrombosis, phlebitis, embolism or pains following childbirth, mastitis, skin care for babies, mumps, vericose veins, sciatica and minor wounds.
It has been used to soothe the digestive system, being called into use for ulcers, gastritis, diarrhea, and nausea. Urinary troubles, uterine cramping, anemia and worms have been treated with it. Bruises and hemorrhoids respond to it, as well as central nervous complaints, pain, cuts and wounds. It may increase a sense of well-being and help repair nerve tissue after trauma. It has antibiotic properities.

Summary: St. John's Wort contains flavonoids and xanthones that are MAO inhibitors. MAO is monoamine oxidase, and MAO inhibitors increase the level of nerve impulse transmitters in the brain that maintain normal mood and emotional stability. Research on St. John's Wort resulted positively regarding the calming effects on the nervous system. It may be an important dietary supplement for those who experience anxiety and sleeplessness as well. Patients suffering from depression received relief, increased appetite, more interest in life, a greater self-esteem and restoration of normal sleeping patterns.
A series of recent double-blind, placebo-controlled studies indicate that St. John's Wort was as effective as prescription antidepressants and with fewer side effects. St. John's Wort extract when used for depression has been favorable compared to standard prescription antidepressive drugs including maprotiline, hydrochloride and imipramine.

Action on the Nervous System
St. John's Wort weakly inhibits the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO), a bodily chemical associated with depression. Believed to be its primary mechanism of action regarding its antidepressive activity.
The MAO inhibiting actions of St. John's Wort were originally thought to be due to hypericin. Hypericin does not act alone. St. John's Wort relies on a complex interplay of many constituents for its antidepressant actions.
St. Johns Wort as a MAO inhibitor may be the main (but not the only) physiological mechinism that makes St Johns effective in treating mild to moderate depression. Many of the standard pharmaceutical antidepressants are also MAO inhibitors. St Johns is not supposed to be as strong as a MAO inhibitor though.
MAO inhibitors (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) block the enzyme that breaks down monoamines in the brain and body. Some common foods and medicines are metabolized this way. If they cannot be metabolized, they cannot be processed safely and become toxic. Foods high in tyramine such as cheeses, wines, beer, chocolate are supposed to be avoided when taking MAO inhibitors because of this potential toxicity. Phenylethamine drugs (mescaline, amphetamine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine) are also metabolized by monoamine oxidase.
If you read the label warning on the side on over the counter drugs like Sudafed (contains pseudoephedrine) and Primatene (contains ephedrine) it says something like "Do not take this medication if taking MAO inhibitors". Combinations of St Johns and Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica, which contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) may be potentially dangerous. The MAO inhibition from the St. Johns may make the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine present in the Ma Huang more toxic than usual.

Toxicity: The extensive use of St. John's Wort in many years of folk and herbal medicine as well as the twenty-million people in Germany today who have been taking St. John's Wort for more than a year and have not reported any long-term side effects different or more prevalent than those of the shorter-term medical studies.
St. John's Wort does not have a single recorded human death. The only fatal toxicity known is in certain light-skinned animals, such a sheep, who die not from ingesting large quantities of St. John's Wort while grazing, but of exposure to sun after. St. John's Wort increases the animals' susceptibility to sunlight, and they become sick and sometimes die from extreme sunburn. This is known as phytotoxicity.
While theoretically possible in humans, has not been documented in the recommended doses for depression. No case of phytotoxicity has been reported in human medical studies at depression-dosage levels. Even in AIDS research involving intravenous St. John's Wort doses 35 times greater than the recommended dose for depression, the phytotoxic effects have been few and never deadly. (High doses of St. John's Wort are being medically investigated for its antiviral properties.)

Safety Issues/Contraindications: St. John's Wort may have the potential for phytotoxicity or if one has a prior hypersensitivity to sunlight, or if one is taking other photosensitizing drugs such as Chlorpromazine and Tetracyclines, or have fair skin should avoid exposure to strong sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light when taking St. John's Wort.
It is also advisable to avoid tyramine containing foods, alcoholic beverages, and medications lime tyrosine, narcotics, amphetamines, and over-the-counter cold and flu remedies while taking St. John's Wort.
The low side-effect profile of St. John's Wort - when taken in the dosage recommended - puts it in the category of herbs, vitamins, minerals, and over-the-counter medications.

In Studies:     There are many studies documenting the clinical effects of St. John's Wort as an antidepressant treatment similar to several synthetic antidepressants, but with a minimum of side effects. St. John's Wort has been demonstrated to increase theta waves in the brain. Theta waves normally occur during sleep and have been associated with deep meditation, serene pleasure and heightened creative activity. St. John's Wort effectually may improve perception and clarify thinking processes.
In the past, experiments were done where mice infected with viruses similar to HIV were given St. John's Wort extract. The virus' progress was halted. This led to testing on human HIV and AIDS patients. The results are inconclusive, though anecdotal information reports a significant improvement in some patients.
In a multicenter trial, 135 patients with depression were given either St. John's Wort (900 mg/day) or imipramine (75 mg/day) for six weeks. Therapeutic success was achieved using the HAMD, Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and Depression Scale according to Zerssen. HAMD score improved by 56% in the St. John's Wort group versus 45% for the imipramine group. Differences on the CGI and Zerssen scales were slightly better for St. John's Wort although not significantly different. Adverse reactions were reported in 16% of patients taking imipramine while only 12% of those taking St. John's Wort experienced side effects.

Depression: August 3, 1996 the British Journal of Medicine (1996:313:253-8), published the results of Klaus Linde and associates review of 23 published reported trials, including 1757 patients, which indicate that St. John's Wort, was more effective than placebo for the treatment of mild to moderately severe depression, without side effects such as headaches or vomiting.

Animal studies using high doses of St. John's Wort have noted skin inflammation after sun exposure (phototoxicity). Also fatigue, stomach upset, and allergic reactions have been reported in humans. If the published results above are verified by longer term comparison studies, the way could be paved for a new, less toxic approach to managing depression.
Fourteen placebo-controlled studies have been completed using St. John's Wort for the treatment of depression. One study compared a St. John's Wort extract supplying approximately 2.0 mg of hypericin daily with placebo. Treatment lasted for 8 weeks and results were analyzed using the Hamilton Depression scale (HAMD). At the end of the treatment period, the HAMD score was lowered by 70% in the group taking St. John's Wort extract. The placebo group had a 45% drop and no adverse reactions were noted in the treatment group.
A second study examined the effect of 900 mg/day of St. John's Wort (supplying 2.7 mg of hypericin daily) versus placebo in 65 patients suffering from mild to moderate depression. Treatment lasted for six weeks. Using the HAMD, the response rate in the active medication group was 67% while a 27% drop was noted for the placebo group. Two mild adverse reactions were reported in the active medication group ­p; pruritis and fatigue.

Recommended Use: Dosage is typically based on hypericin concentration of the St. John's Wort. The daily hypericin dosage recommended is approximately 1.2 mg. For example, a naturally occuring St. John's Wort might contain 0.067% hypericin might require a daily dosage of 1800 mg (usually given two capsules in three divided doses).

Technicals:     There are over 50 "Active Welltrient Constituents". Most researched are hypericin and pseudohypericin (the glycosides that are the red pigments, that increases capillary blood flow and are MAO inhibitors). Contains: choline, pectin, sitosterol, a polyphenolic flavonoid derivative (hyperaside), pseudohypericin, rutin and xanthones. Tannin (responsible for the astringent effect for wound healing) = 10%, Volatile oil = 1% and Resins.

Description of Plant & Culture: St. John's Wort is a herbaceous plant that grows freely in the wild in uncultivated ground. This vigorous, opportunistic plant has spread to all parts of the world. It will grow almost anywhere man has disturbed the earth. Considered to be of excellent medicinal quality when found growing on logged areas at moderate elevations. St. John's Wort grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. The plant has a pale brown stem, top branches and oblong stalkless leaves that grow in pairs with delicate bluish-green elliptical leaves. The leaves are oblong and have dots that contain the oil glands, on the back of the leaf, that may be seen by holding the leaf up to the light. Perforated leaves have transparent spots (oil glands), that look like holes, the unperforated varieties have rust-colored spots. The sap also is reddish colored.
The unopened flower buds are the highest in the red substance, hypericin. The bright yellow flowers bloom in early June at the lower elevations and mid-July at higher areas in the mountains and they appear until September. Each flower has five yellow petals that are dotted with black along the margins and many yellow stamens. The fruit is a three celled capsule containing small, dark brown seeds. The whole plant has a turpentine-like odor.

Commonly, Traditionally or known to help or used for:   St. John's Wort has been used traditionally for mild depression, anxiety, tension and irritability

Side Effects:   The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) has varied from none to 25% in clinical trials. Although the incidence of ADRs is lower than with most prescription antidepressants, patients should be monitored for ADRs for the first few weeks of initial use. ADRs reported with St. John's Wort have included emotional vulnerability, fatigue, pruritis, and weight increase.
St. John's Wort has an excellent safety record during centuries of folk medicine. Recent medical studies confirm this safety. The extensive use of St. John's Wort in Germany (sixty-six million daily doses in 1994) has not resulted in medical reports of serious drug interactions or even toxicity after accidental overdose.