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Have a look at this thread.Just curious about experiences using this supplement.
Have a look at this thread.
Why do you want to take SJW?
Are you already on an antidepressant? If you are taking SJW with a prescribed antidepressant you can get serotonin syndrome which is serious.
@Justin30
If you are taking SJW for depression there is little evidence that it is effective. If it does have an effect, it would have the same side effects of a regular AD depending on the dosage.
@Justin30
There's also the problem that herbal products are not regulated so the actual dosage can change from bottle to bottle, contain harmful fillers or even no SJW in any of the product.
Not true. SSRI's for example work by inhibiting re-uptake of serotonin, other types of ADs work in different ways and produce different types of side effects. There is no proof that SJW works the same way as SSRI's. Herbs are usually less selective and affect more things, but the effect doesn't necessarily come from inhibiting serotonin uptake as in SSRI's.
This is not a guarantee because of this and this. As far as I know psychiatrist in the states do not use SJW but need to check this.This may be possible indeed although unlikely. In my country SJW is only sold in drugstores, which have pharma grade quality control on all sold products, including herbs.
About 40% of prescription medications are derived from herbs/plants but the difference is that the herb is analyzed to find the active ingredient(s) that produce a therapeutic response so the drug does not contain other ingredients in the herb that may be harmful or not needed.
Hence, in the case of St. John's Wort, I would choose medical grade hypericum--the active ingredient. It is formulated to have standardized dosing.Herbal products are not regulated so you don't know what they contain, what fillers are used or if the herb has been exposed to things such as pesticides or molds.
While prescition grade may be a safer choice, I still would worry about the issue that some have self diagnosed that they have depression, anxiety and you really need a professional to do this as well as a complete physical workup. Unfortunately this is not done as frequently as it should be. I went to my Psychiatrist because I thought my depression was coming back and it turned out I needed to up my Thyroid medications.Hence, in the case of St. John's Wort, I would choose medical grade hypericum--the active ingredient. It is formulated to have standardized dosing.