Naturopathy St. John's wort in depression

St. John's wort extract: A bearer of hope against the disease of the people

05/10/2011

According to a recently published survey commissioned by WHO, 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and women twice as often as men. In Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) Berlin, five to six million people between the ages of 18 and 65 have suffered from depression in the last twelve months. Herbal medicines from St. John's Wort extracts are proving to be more and more common as a hope against the disease.

For some years now, medicine has achieved great successes in the treatment of depressive states. The phytopharmaceutical St. John's wort experienced an almost unique renaissance: Controlled scientific investigations with standardized extracts of the medicinal plant have given it the longest due scientific recognition.

The Ravensburg psychiatrist Prof. Dr. med. Volker Faust introduces in his reference book „Mental disorders today“ (ecomed 2011): „No antidepressant has taken such a spectacular upswing in recent years as St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.). In the meantime, it is even among the most important antidepressant substances in terms of prescription and use (even though sales have declined). St. John's Wort Phyto-Antidepressant has now proven through more than 40 clinical-therapeutic trials that its success in treating mild to moderate depression is comparable to that of synthetic ("chemical") antidepressants. In addition, special healing indications are discussed: for example, winter depression, body-related disorders, grief reaction, burnout syndrome, premenstrual disorders, menopause, tinnitus (ear noises) or chronic pain“.

In the multifactorial development of depression, biological, psychological and social components interact. The WHO study by Evelyn Bromet in 89,000 people in 18 countries, for example, showed that people from rich countries are particularly affected by depressive states. As an individual trigger of depression, the loss of the partner often turned out. (Bromet E. et al., BMC Medicine 2011, 9:90, doi: 10.1186 / 1741-7015-9-90)..

Unfortunately, legal regulations regarding the prescribability of medicinal products from St. John's Wort extracts have caused quite a stir. Although they work best for mild and moderate depression, for mild depression the doctor may prescribe them only on the green prescription or private prescription. The use of St. John's wort supplements is only recoverable in the case of moderate depression. (KFN)

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Picture: Katharina Wieland Müller