Thumbs up for St John's wort

Feeling down in the dumps? A dose of the sunshine herb St John’s wort could help to make you smile again.

And it’s not just hearsay. The largest study ever on the plant, carried out by Dr Klaus Linde, of the Centre for Complementary Medicine, Munich, reports that St John’s wort is as effective for mild-to-moderate depression as conventional drugs such as Prozac.

In a review of 29 studies of the plant, involving nearly 5500 patients with mild to moderately severe depression, Linde found that, as well as helping to lift the spirits, St John’s wort also has fewer side effects. ‘ Overall we found that the St John’s wort extracts tested in the trials were superior to placebos and as effective as standard antidepressants, with fewer side effects,’ said Linde.

To find our more visit St John's Wort