st. john's wort and 5-htp...

This week I've started taking St. John's Wort and 5-HTP (which is from Griffonia seeds). I guess SJW is supposed to inhibit serotonin reuptake and 5HTP is a serotonin stimulator. I've always been terrified to take drugs but thought I might try some herbal stuff (got it for free from a friend). Has anyone tried these and had results or is this just a bunch of balogna.

Some studies show that it works. For me, i didn't see much help, but my depression was pretty bad.

Hmmm I am considering taking St. John's Wort too....

John - Even those that recommend St. Johns Wort (SJW), say that it should only be used for "mild to moderate" depression. This is the kind of depression that can be treated by talking out your problems with a good friend (and that is far cheaper than buying the herb).

Remember, anything that you take to elicit an effect in the body is considered a drug. Just because it is called an "herb" does not make it any safer than any other antidepressant. A common fallacy is that "natural = safe". This is not true. At equivalent doses (ie. doses that give similar medicinal effects) SSRIs are just as safe as SJW.

Also, the studies that have shown SJW to have any antidepressant effect use a concentrated extract with a standardized amount of active ingredients. What this means is "an expensive product". I have found that the cost of treatment with an effective SJW product is approximately the same price as a generic SSRI. The problem is that the SSRIs have been proven to have much better antidepressant activity.

As for 5-HTP, I haven't seen any controlled studies showing that it is much better than placebo, although, theoretically, it should boost the activity of an antidepressant. Unfortunately, in this case, "should" and the reality of 5-HTP efficacy don't seem to match.

As with any herbal product, there is the problem of getting the amount of active ingredient that the label on the bottle says that you are getting. Herbal products are not regulated like medications are, so one can't be sure that the product does contain what the label states. There are reputable companies, but their product's price reflects their guarantee.

Again, if your are using an herb to treat a medical condition, then that herb must be considered a "drug" or "medication", complete with side effects, toxic effects, and potential for allergic reactions. The main reason that side effects of herbals are usually lower is that the medicinal effect is proportionally low.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

Do a google search on Brain Link and talk to your herbalist. They are very knowledgeable and a good one can determine what your body specifically needs as each body is different

eh, sorry, put in brain link complex to find it. It's from a place called Pain & Stress Center

Hi JohnShaft,

I tried St John's Wort while I was struggling and found that I seemed to get more wobbly, like it was doing something with the depression but not what I had hoped for.

Like you I have hung on without prescription drugs for whatever reason, and found that I got through it anyway.

The Psychiatrist I saw back then was pretty impatient with me and said "You don't even know what it is to feel normal". I still didn't take the Prozac. That's just me, I'm not giving any advice here.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Cheers, Myzen