MedMinute: St. Johns Wort Found Ineffective For Treating A Common Form of Depression
The herbal supplement St Johns wort is a popular "natural" remedy for depression. But a new study finds it is ineffective in treating a serious form of the condition. One of the studys authors emphasizes the potential danger from its use
It's estimated that consumers will spend upwards of $200 million this year on St. John's wort, an herbal supplement touted to relieve symptoms of mild depression. But if you suffer from actual clinical depression, a new NIH-funded study says St. John's wort is ineffective at best, and can be dangerous. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center, headed by Dr. Jonathan Davidson, found it to be no more effective than a placebo in treating serious depression. Dr. Robert Califf, director of the Duke Clinical research Institute and one of the study's authors, says St. John's wort can actually be unsafe for those with certain illnesses.
"Remember that a lot of people with other serious illnesses do become depressed and say, 'Well, I'll take a little St. John's wort to perk me up.' For these people, it can be particularly the wrong thing to do without good medical supervision to check these medicines and make sure that there's no bad interaction going on."
Califf says the findings support the need for testing and send an important message:
"For the things that work, let's use them. For the things that don't work, let's save our money and spend our money on things that do work."
I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.