The natural mood lifter that's beating antidepressants
St. John's Wort, an herbal remedy for depression, doesn't have such an attractive name. But it sounds a whole lot better than heart attack, gastrointestinal bleeding, nausea, headache, nervousness, fatigue, impotence and suicide – just some of the side effects associated with prescription antidepressants.
Let's hope some recent research makes that clearer than ever to docs treating depression.
According to a recent analysis of 29 studies involving 5,489 subjects, St. John's Wort blew the doors off prescription-strength antidepressants. Researchers found that St. John's Wort extracts were effective and fewer people dropped out of the trials due to problems with side effects, compared to those using drugs.
St. John's Wort works by actually helping your brain make more serotonin – as opposed to antidepressants, which focus on keeping serotonin on your brain receptors a little longer. Plus, St. John's Wort is far safer. SSRI antidepressant are associated with a wide variety of undesirable side effects including with increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, weight gain, osteoporosis, atrial fibrillation, and loss of libido. The last is, in my own experience, extremely common, if not inevitable. If you're taking other prescription drugs, talk to your doctor before starting a St. John's Wort regimen, as it can cause some complications. But if you're currently taking a prescription antidepressant – and aren't too happy with it – it might be time to talk to your doc about whether St. John's Wort could be a better solution. Perika from Nature's Way, Sc27 from New Chapter and Saint John's Worth High Grade from Medi Herb are all reliable, quality products.
