St. John's Wart

[lexinonomous]

St. John's Wart is said to be a natural remedy that can help with depression. As a teenager, my mother bought me a case of St. John's Wart pills to help me get a handle on my emotions. I was surprised when my depression and anger weakened and my thoughts became more positive. It was a very, very slow progress, but it was progress nonetheless.


St. John's Wart is a flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family. It is a herb with antidepressant activity, helping people manage their emotions in a natural way. From what I understand, it can be used with mild depression and wouldn't be suggested for anything major.


Have you tried St. John's Wart?


Did it work for you?

 

[rz3300]

Well that is interesting. I have always preferred the more natural remedies, and I have been a big fan of this sleepy time tea that I found at the store not too long ago. I am pretty sure that it has some St. John's Wart in it, but I was pretty sure that the main draw was the chamomile, but now I am not sure. Thanks for sharing though because that might help me out a bit to know that.

 

[MellowCat]

I have tried it. I tried it about 10 years ago. I am not really sure whether it changed my mood or not, but I did take it fairly religiously for a while. I stopped because the side effects seemed to outweigh the benefits. Yes, natural remedies can have side effects too! It can make you very sensitive to sunlight which, in my case, made my head hurt almost every time I went outside. It does seem to work for some people, though, so I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[Pandora]

I haven't tried it but, it might be worth a looking over. I have tried vitamin D and vitamin B. The vitamin D was because we only have sun three months out of the year and my doctor thought trying vitamin D may boost the chemicals in the brain that deal with depression. However, I didn't notice anything at all and thought I was wasting my money. Of course, my depression is sever and take medication for my depression. The vitamin D might aid someone that has low depression? I am not sure. Thank you for sharing, I will have to take a look at St. John's Wart.

 

[WorkAtHomeGal]

I am glad to read that it did work a bit for you even though it was a slow process. My mother bought it up to me but I forget to mention it to my doctor last time I was there to see him. My parents hate that I am taking pills and my father thinks it's not right and that I don't have a problem. Not exactly something I want to hear from my family. I may look into it eventually and yes I hate taking pills but they are working for me a bit.

 

[redpanda]

I'm glad it's worked for some of you! I'm usually very, very skeptical of natural remedies for mental illness but St. John's Wort actually has some science behind it. That being said, please remember that even though it's "natural", it's still a drug! It can interact with other medications you're taking, including SSRIs and birth control. I've actually heard of cases where an interaction with an SSRI (the type of drug most commonly prescribed for depression) caused serotonin syndrome. Just like with any other drug, please talk to your doctor about possible interactions. Also, most doctors and researchers warn against using St. John's Wort for bipolar disorder. It can apparently make mania symptoms worse. Do your research, either way.

 

[MellowCat]

If you do decide to try it, make sure you still talk to a doctor about it before you start. As with any supplement or other major change to your diet, it's always a good idea. it's surprising what a natural product can do if your body doesn't take to it well. Good luck, and I hope that it does turn out to be a good alternative to an RX for you!

 

[janemariesayed]

St. Johns Wort has always been something that seemed to work for me. My symptoms are more severe though and now my doctor has put me on Fluoxetine. I've always preferred natural remedies over chemical pills.