====== St. John's wort ======

Extracts of the plant //Hypericum perforatum// - known as St. John's Wort - are a traditional herbal remedy to treat mild forms of [[content:psychology:disorders:depression|depression]].

The extracts are currently available under medical prescription in some countries, notably Germany, where it's an officially approved treatment. In other countries (e.g. the US) the plant is not registered as a medicine, but as a 'food supplement',

The effectiveness of the treatment is still under discussion, but the plant appears to work at least as well as commonly prescribed SSRI drugs (e.g.[[content:medicine:drugs:fluoxetine]]) but with lower prevalence of adverse side effects.

The active ingredients are believed to be //hypericin// and //hyperforin - //possibly in conjunction with other compounds.

It's currently not known exactly how the plant's extracts help to alleviate depression, but they are thought to play a role in regulating serotonin levels. (For technical details see : [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10736019_Mechanism_of_action_of_St_John%27s_wort_in_depression_What_is_known|CNS Drugs 17(8):539-62]] )

Also see : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum_perforatum|Wikipedia]]