St. John's Wort Extract

I have heard of some people trying St. Johns Wort and have had very positive results from it.  I did a lot of research on it, and learned a lot about it.  It is being used now for severe depression from an article I read.  I shied away for years from antidepressants because of bad side effects - they were in the SSRI class family (such as Zoloft, Proxac, Lexapro, etc) and not only did I have really bad side effects, but they also numbed my emotions where I felt I was a zombie.  I then tried SAM-e and was on it for three years and depression free.  It is an Amino acid that is used for lifting mood and it supposed to be very safe and effective.  You can get more info on at at the www SAM-e website.  I took 400mg once a day about 45 minutes before a meal. Now, I am taking Remeron which is a tricyclic class of antidepressants and the only side effect I have had on it, is increased appetite, where I eat a bit more at meals.  Other than that, I have had no side effects and it has worked great.  Maybe the class of drugs were not right for you, and maybe a different class might be a bit better - I would check with your doctor.  They also have the SSNRI's such as Cymbalta, and I think Effexor is another one.

Thanks so much for all the info Rianna. Much appreciated. I'll look into the Sam-e.

Thanks Sherry. Can you let me know if you feel any side effects from it?

Hi, I toddled on over from the crohn's forum. I have been taking St. John's Wort for several months. I take it along with valerian root. I tend to have bouts of anxiety and depression related to crohn's. St. John's Wort is great. Not only can it alleviate depression (mild to moderate), but it's also good for cleaning up the liver, aids in digestion, has powerful antioxidant benefits and helps to support the immune system. Because it does help to cleanse the liver it can also make some of your meds less effective. Might want to look up contraindications if you're on other meds and see if St. John's Wort is right for you. I think it's contraindicated for drugs that suppress the immune system.

I have already checked for interactions on a nifty little website called drugdigest.com. It will tell you of any interaction between prescription meds, herbals supplements and/or food and drug. The only interaction that I found was not to drink alcohol with St. Johns Wart. That's not much a problem since I don't drink much anyway.

wrong time of year for this advise, but stay out of the sun. You will get a nasty burn. It makes you photosensitive.

Thanks for the advice diamond. I didn't know that but I will keep that in mind. Unfortunately I live in Michigan so the sun is not very ummm present as of late! lol The last thing I need is a sunburn, but I did notice the other day (when we did actually had sun) that my face felt much hotter in the sun then normal.

Update on my St. John's wart usage.....I am feeling great! Before I started taking, if a small incidence would come up, I would dwell on it for hours and do the what ifs. It would make me feel horrible... emotionally. It also did not help my illness any because stress plays a big factor in it. And I also believe that many of my aches and pains were coming from my depression. I was a walking mass of muscle aches. Now the aches have decreased and it couldn't make me happier. So yeah, I would definately say that this is working for me. It's been a year and half since I've actually felt emotionally "light" and I can laugh like I mean it now. It doesn't feel like I'm a fraud anymore, someone who is just going thru the motions of life but actually enjoying it now. It's awesome :)

Thank you Septembersun for mentioning this sometimes forgotten remedy!