The hypericum herb, or St John’s wort as it is commonly referred to, is widely used for the treatment of mild depression. In fact, in Germany it outsells the synthetic drug Prozac. It has been shown to be effective and adverse effects do not seem to be a problem. However, it does interfere with the disposition of other drugs. In particular, it will generally reduce the activity of certain other drugs which may lead to a failure of treatment. New studies have found that St John's wort can also be used moderately successfully to treat major depression. Studies have found something odd about the drug however- it is much more effective on German's than on other people. It seems that the herb's favourable reputation in Germany leads to higher reports of its effectiveness, and lower reports of its failure, as studies don't want to oppose the mainstream acceptance of it. Whether it works as well as traditional NSAID treatments or not, it certainly has fewer side effects, making it a great option for treatment.
