I was advised to give the herbal remedy St John's wort a try when I was suffering from extreme exam stress during my finals. This herb is commonly marketed as a 'natural prozac' and is used to combat stress and minor depression. I hoped it would relax me and stop me worrying all the time so that I could work more effectively.

However, after a couple of weeks of use, although I was feeling less anxious I was also feeling emotionally numb and apathetic about everything. I found this disturbing and unnatural. I don't suffer from depression and certainly cannot believe that blanketing feelings is a good thing in most situations.

Therefore I wouldn't recommend this supplement to people who are normally quite emotionally balanced but are going through a tough period. Do you really want to feel like you simply don't care?

People who feel as if they may be suffering from depression should go see their GP, after all a pharmaceutical drug is usually both purer and more effective than a natural but impure supplement. The rest of us should look on the bright side and have yet another cup of tea instead.