St John's wort: a potential therapy
for elderly depressed patients?
by
Vorbach EU, Arnoldt KH, Wolpert E
Klinik fur Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie,
am Evangelischen Krankenhaus Elisabethenstift Darmstadt,
Darmstadt, Germany
Drugs Aging 2000 Mar; 16(3):189-97

ABSTRACT

St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) has a 2000-year history of use as a medicinal herb. Its modern application as a plant extract for treating depression has undergone scientific investigation over the last decade, and its effectiveness has been shown in studies comparing it with placebo and reference antidepressants. Our own work supports the contention that LI 160, the best-documented St John's wort medication, is effective at a high dosage even in patients with severe depression. Since the new Berlin Aging Study revealed significant treatment deficiencies among elderly depressive patients, St John's wort extracts may be a useful alternative to benzodiazepines to avoid nontreatment of early depression. Because St John's wort preparations have better tolerability than tricyclic antidepressants, elderly people in particular, can benefit from their use.

SAMe
Cannabis
Kava-kava
Hyperforin
Herbal highs
St John's wort
St John's wort: why?
St John's wort: doubts
St John's wort for depression
St John's wort: meta-anaylsis
St John's wort and depressed kids
Can hypericum help tobacco addicts?
St John's wort and depressed animals
Hypericum/St John's wort (Kira, Alterra)
St John's wort: hypericum as a smart drug?
St John's wort as an antidepressant: mechanisms
St John's wort reduces cortisol and corticosterone

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family