SAB NewsSt. John’s Wort’s Healing Reputation Is UpheldPosted 7/8/2003 According to an Instant Poll of The Science Advisory Board, 41% of the participants would be inclined to receive treatment with St. John’s wort for mild to moderate depression. For many centuries, St. John's wort has been employed for medicinal purposes. Despite the fact that the herb’s mechanism of action is not well understood, there is some scientific evidence that St. John's wort is useful for treating mild to moderate depression. The relatively high percentage of individuals willing to try such a treatment supports a widening acceptance in the scientific and medical communities for alternative and complementary therapies. Obviously, this acceptance is dependent upon sound scientific data as evidenced by the fact that only 14% would use the herb to treat anxiety and even less, 8%, would utilize it as a therapy for sleep disorders. The effectiveness of St. John’s wort against both anxiety and sleep disorders has not been convincingly demonstrated. However, despite this apparent enthusiasm for the herb’s potential powers, slightly more than one-third of those polled state that they would not use St. John’s wort to treat depression, anxiety or sleep disorders. “I suspect that part of this hesitancy is due to concern about the systematic effects the herb has on the body,” states Dr. Tamara Zemlo, Director of Scientific and Medical Communications for The Science Advisory Board. From studies published in the medical literature, St. John’s wort appears to be an inducer the cytochrome P450 system, which is a vital metabolic pathway. Because many prescription drugs used to treat heart disease, cancer, AIDS; manage transplant rejection; or prevent pregnancy are metabolized via this pathway, there could be dangerous and unforeseen complications of combining such alternative therapies with conventional medicine. Unlike prescription drugs, herbal products are frequently sold without information on dosage, safety, or effectiveness. Furthermore, the quality and purity of these products are often variable; information on labels may therefore be misleading or inaccurate. |
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