St. John's Wort

St. Johns Wort seems to be incredibly fashionable at the moment as a treatment for “depression”. This is a serious illness which is often wrongly self-diagnosed by a person feeling a bit “low”. True clinical depression should be properly treated and monitored by a medical doctor, though self-medication for symptoms thought by most to be depression are becoming commonplace. Though St. Johns Wort has been deemed a `wonder-herb´ and dubbed “Natures Prozac”, it is in fact dangerous. You are in fact far safer if you in fact take Prozac itself. St. Johns Wort works in a similar manner to the old generation monoamine oxidase ...  Read the complete review

I've suffered with depression for most of my adult life. I would never recommend St Johns Wort, for people as badly affected as me but in cases of mild depression or as a additional use to something like Thyroxine, it can be very useful. For years I thought I was completely insane, and not fit to be alive. The people around me thought I was playing up for attention and that just made it worse. I would go crazy at the strangest things and I couldn't work out why I was always so angry all the time. Through my teenage years, I got steadily worse. To the point of attempting suicide on a number of occasions. This was made worse when, ...  Read the complete review

I’ve never really slept that well. I know it’s an over active mind and I should do something about it. In fact, I’ve tried lots of things over the years. Yep, I’ve tried self hypnosis, meditation (not quite the same), a chillow (might do a review one day) and even being boinked on the head with a mallet. Well actually, the last one’s a lie although my missus would gladly volunteer. So to my latest brainwave – St. John’s Wort. I’d considered this herbal route some time ago but baulked at the cost; what with me being a tight Brummie, but then I saw a packet of 30 tablets on sale in Aldi for just 89p. Even with my elementary maths, that was less than 3p a day for a month’s ...  Read the complete review

Saint John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum) is a plant which produces a herbal supplement that has in recent years become very popular – sales in the USA alone are thought to be worth around $200 million dollars per year. The extract is most commonly taken in tablet form (such as that produced by Kira), but it also may be used as a tincture, infusion or massage oil. It is commonly described as being a herbal Prozac, as the best-known use of St John’s Wort is to treat depressive states – but is there any truth in this claim? In favour of the supplement, many clinical trials do actually show that St Johns Wort can be useful in treating mild ...  Read the complete review

My Son was born on Good Friday this year, and it was a fantastic day, and really made up for the last nine months of hell that he had put me through. As is always the case after having a baby you run on adrenalin for a few days, then shock sets in, and eventually when you least expect it here comes good old postnatal depression! As if you haven’t got enough on your plate already. In my particular case things were quite difficult. My husband was working in Hampshire, my original home (we live in South Wales), and was away 2 nights a week, and I also have a 7 year old daughter, who is hard work at the best of times! Luckily I have my mum and dad ...  Read the complete review