St. John's Wort (5% Hyperforin extract): What Is It?
St. John's Wort is a medicinal herb that has been used for centuries to treat various emotional needs, such as depression, anxiety and enhancing one's sense of well being and overall happiness. In fact, its use for mild to moderate depression has been supported by clinical studies in recent years.
Over 40+ MILLION Use It In Germany ...
In Germany, where it is covered by health insurance as a prescription drug, some 40+ million people take 5-HTP (hypericum) for Anxiety & Depression. A meta-analysis and review of 23 randomized clinical trials involving 1757 people with mild or moderately severe depressive disorders showed that St. John's Wort was 4.67 times superior to a placebo in relieving depressive symptoms and was as effective as standard antidepressant drugs.
Basically, this natural "wonder herb" is clinically proven to work 5x better than doing "nothing" and is AS effective as regular prescription drugs, with almost NO side-effects!
Side effects occurred in ONLY 1.8% of patients on St. John's Wort, compared with 62.8% of those taking standard antidepressant drugs. The conclusion of the researchers was that St. John's Wort is more effective than a placebo for treatment of mild to moderately severe depressive disorders (Linde et al. 1996).
Worked Better & With LESS Side-Effects
Most of the studies have examined the benefits of St. John's Wort in people with mild to moderate depression. However, Vorbach et al. (1997) compared 600 mg three times a day, a dosage double the usual prescribed dosage, with 50 mg three times a day of imipramine in patients with severe depression. St. John's Wort proved to be equivalent in efficacy, but with far fewer adverse effects (5.6%, compared to 81.4% for imipramine) (Vorbach et al. 1997).
Better & Safer Than PROZAC!
One criticism of the St. John's Wort research was that, although the herb had compared favorably to drugs such as imipramine, amitriptyline, and maprotiline, it had yet to be compared to the more commonly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac.
Three studies in patients with mild to moderate depression have changed that.
- In the first study, Harrer et al. (1999) found 800 mg a day of St. John's Wort extract to be as effective in elderly German patients as Prozac.
- In the second study by Schrader (2000), a rather low daily dose of St. John's Wort (500 mg a day) was equivalent to 20 mg a day of fluoxetine (Prozac). Significantly, more of the 240 volunteers responded to St. John's Wort than Prozac (60% versus 40%) and the herb produced significantly fewer side effects (3% of St. John's Wort patients versus 23% of Prozac patients).
- In a 2000 study, the same low dose (500 mg a day) proved as effective as 75 mg twice a day of imipramine, but with far fewer side effects (Woelk 2000).
As Beneficial As ZOLOFT!
A forth study by Brenner et al. (2000) judged St. John's Wort extract (600 mg for 1week, then 900 mg for 6 weeks) as beneficial as Zoloft (Zoloft (sertraline), 50 mg for 1 week, then 75 mg for 6 weeks).
Even Works For
Menopause, PMS and S.A.D.
Health practitioners have also found St. John's Wort helpful in treating low mood associated with menopause, premenstrual syndrome, and seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.) Grube et al. (1999) gave menopausal women 300 mg three times daily of St. John's Wort for 12 weeks.
Surprisingly, both the psychological and physical symptoms of menopause improved substantially. So did sexual well-being. Kasper (1997) found that St. John's Wort decreased the low mood associated with seasonal affective disorder on par with results the same researcher had found earlier for fluoxetine (Prozac).
WARNING:
Make Sure It's "Hyperforin", NOT "Hypericin"
And at 5% Extract, NOT 0.5% ...
Another point of question is that the St. John's Wort extracts used in studies were standardized to an ingredient called hypericin. The process of standardization is for quality assurance. It is a guarantee that a specified amount of an ingredient (presumably the medicinally active ingredient) is present in the herbal extract.
The PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) for Herbal Medicine, a respected herbal reference, states that hyperforin and not hypericin may be the primary active ingredient for treating depression.
In one study, patients received either placebo, a St. John's Wort extract standardized to 0.5% hyperforin, or a St. John's Wort extract standardized to 5% hyperforin. Only patients who received the extract of 5% hyperforin showed significant improvement of depressive symptoms (Laakman et al.).
It is possible that in the JAMA study, the subjects receiving the St. John's Wort extract may have significantly improved if the extract had been standardized to hyperforin.
Other Benefits ...
Even though most studies with St. John's Wort have to do with depression, and some with general anxiety, St. John's Wort does have other benefits. Here are a few:
- PMS and other monthly hormonal imbalances.
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). This usually happens during the darker and colder winter seasons. The mind does in fact, become "down", "blue" and sad when it doesn't receive enough sun light.
- Menopause - Again, the imbalance in estrogen and progesterone, also causes both physical and emotional withdrawal, general sadness and a feeling of "hopelessness".
- Appetite Control & Sugar Cravings - Due to a drop in serotonin, your body will naturally crave sugars, salts and caffeine - as all 3 naturally help to increase serotonin levels. BUT, if you have a sufficient amount, cravings are usually gone since there is no need to balance out serotonin levels.
So, What's YOUR Best Solution?...
I'll be honest with you. No single ingredient works at 100% effectiveness forever, let alone for every person. And that includes St. John's Wort or any other single herb or nutrient.
Think about it. Just like you don't eat only broccoli for best health, you don't want to use only one herb or nutrient either.
The best products use St. John's Wort, in conjunction with other key ingredients, at specific dosages to dramatically help with Anxiety & Depression. Other key ingredients you should look for when purchasing a product, which also work in synergy with St. John's Wort are:
- Phenibut
- Kava Kava
- 5-HTP
- Passion Flower Extract
- Valerian Root Extract
- Inositol
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure that whatever product you select, uses the correct (and effective) extract of 5% hyperforin. Many companies use far less percentage (like 0.5% or 2%) and other's use an INCORRECT extract form called hypericin.
When combined with the above ingredients, it creates a "synergy" where you get MORE positive effects, at a much LOWER dose. That's the secret!...
Confused? Too Many Options & Choices?
Here's What Other People Have Done...
Now, you might be thinking, "Geez, I don't want to take 20-30 pills a day, buying a bunch of bottles and herbs" and I don't blame you. Who has the time OR money.
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natural solution
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Deborah, a mother of 3 who has been dealing with these problems for over 2 decades, said it best, "ProVanax® allows me to feel relaxed, less anxiety and depression, WITHOUT feeling numb, tired or sedated like other products or prescription drugs."
What YOU Should Do Next...
After the above proof, I'm sure you can agree that this ingredient works! It's clinically proven and it's safe (both short and long-term usage). It works as well as prescription drugs, but without the side-effects. But it should NOT be used alone, because it works better with a few other key ingredients (synergy!).
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