Depression is the leading cause of disability globally. 18 million adults in US are affected by it, twice as many women as men. It is ranked right after high blood pressure in terms of chronic medical condition. Even though many people are affected by it, millions more cases are not diagnosed because people are reluctant to seek help, fearing the stigma which is attached to mental illness or they simply do not realize they are ill. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, feeling hopelessness and despair.
Medications used to treat depression sometimes cause horrible side effects that many patients hate, as result hate their meds and many discontinues them. Some patients self-medicate with alcohol, tobacco, caffeine where as other seek for alternative care and/or herbal medicine. The best known herbal treatment is an herb called St. John’s Wort. It is grown as a decorative plant but is also found in tablets, tea, capsules and tincture at natural health food stores (i.e. Whole foods, Sprouts), groceries (i.e. Ralphs, Vons), and drug stores (CVS, Walgreen). In this paper, the effectiveness, efficacy of researches conducted, side effects and dosages have been focused on based research articles, randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis.
St. John’s wort which is also known as Hypericum Perforatum, is the widely used herbal antidepressant in the world. Use of St. John’s wort goes back to middle ages. During the middle ages, it was used to treat insanity resulting from attacks of the devils; thus, it was name St. John’s in reference to St. John’s day on the medieval church calendar. Wort means medicinal plant in English word. This herb is native to England, Wales and northern Europe. It was brought to North American in the 170...
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Practitioners are often concerned about how consumers can find good quality herbs and that’s always a challenge, since U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has not verified brands of St. John’s Wort. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, herbal products are considered dietary supplements; thus, the rule for governing these products is not as strict as regulations of medications. Herbal products can be sold in the absence of any studies on effectiveness, safety or dosage. Consumers need to closely read the information about the product on the package. Even though it is not guaranteed, but most reputable companies usually provide information on how the herbs were processed and the active ingredients amount in each capsule. Exercise and St. John’s wort are both effective treatments for depression. Both of these modalities are low-cost, well tolerated.
St. John's Wort scientifically known as Hypericum Perforatum, an herbal remedy generally used to treat depression, is making a rise throughout Europe and the United States. St. John's Wort is a perennial plant that produces abundant yellow flowers and grows naturally throughout much of the world, including specifically in northern California, southern Oregon, and Colorado. It usually flowers on “sunlight hills and forest edges” during the summer, between June and August. It was named after St. John the Baptist and is often harvested and in full bloom around St. John's Day, June 24.
Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how a person conducts him/herself, and the way he/she think. Depression may include anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, manic depressions. People with a depressive illness cannot merely ‘pull themselves together’ and get better. About 5% of the population will have some form of a mental illness at some point in their lives. Half of these people will also have a substance abuse
St. John’s Wort, often called hypercium for its botanical name, Hypercium perforatum, is derived from a yellow flowering plant. Hypercium is native to Europe, western Asia, North Africa, Madeira and the Azores, and has been transported to and grows wild in parts of Australia and North America (Cracchiolo, 1999). Extracts of the plant have been used in European folk medicine for centuries (Kim, 1999), and in Germany today, Hypercium is used above all other antidepressants (Volz, 1997). Hypercium can be taken through infusion, powder, tincture, fluid extract, or oil, and because there is no standardization, doses range from 0.4mg to 2.7mg, and 300-1000mg of crude extract per day (www.frontiercoop.com/herbfest/98/notes/snjwort.html ).
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
Herbal remedies have been used throughout the world for thousands of years and recently their use has become popularized in America. People tend to view herbal remedies as being safer then prescription drugs because they are believed not to contain chemicals or cause side effects. St. John’s Wort is an herbal remedy, which prevents the destruction of seratonin, a natural anti-depressant, is often used to treat depression. Due to the increasing interest it St John’s wort, as well as in other herbal remedies, there has been a great deal of research done recently in the effectiveness and safety of this herb in regards to depression.
There is little doubt that this drug does wonders for mild depression. In 1996 research in England showed that hypericum not only worked better than the placebo but in many cases worked just as well as the tested prescription drugs (4). The National Health Institute is currently in the middle of a three-year research project concerning hypericum that should end in the year 2000. FDA approval should be following shortly thereafter. In Germany, however, hypericum is a licensed drug that is prescribed twice as often as standard antidepressants (1). Almost 200,000 prescriptions are filled every month for Jarsin, a drug containing hypericum (5).
Kaplan, Brian, “Antidepressants and Our ‘Brave New World’.” Dr Brian Kaplan RSS. 24 Jan. 2012. Web. http://drkaplan.co.uk/2012/01/homeopathy/antidepressants-evidence-and-our-%E2%80%98brave-new-world%E2%80%99
350 million people around the world suffer from depression, which means 5% of the world’s population suffer from depression. Albizia is proven to help with this. Michael Tierra L.Ac., O.M.D., Founder of the American Herbalists Guild said that after giving patients with high stress levels for a short time like one day, the results are still very obvious. One of his case studies, a man 43 years of age had a long history of chronic episodes. After taking the Albizia for a several months, his depressive episodes were both rarely to be seen and much less severe than before. If this plant is used more widely as a treatment for depression, high-levels of stress and anxiety more people can improve their mental illness situation. Students can also benefit from this, as endless heaps of students have anxiety. The competition and pressure from school can give children and teens anxiety or depression at a shockingly young age. Not only does all this stress come from grades and schoolwork but also social norms and standards. If given the right safety warnings and precautions, this plant will relieve teens, parents, workers and many more of their emotional
Hypericum perforatum is a botanical name of St John's wort. It belongs to a family of Clusiaceae or Hypericacacae. Hypericaceae or St. John's wort family or Clusiaceae is one and same thing. It is a flowering plant species of the genus Hypericum and a medicinal herb that is sold globally and good treatment for major depressive disorder {1, 2}.It has been demonstrated by various studies which conclude that st. john's wort is generally as useful against depressions as other modern medication, again with lesser side effects, and it is usually approved for depression in Europe. Conversely, a new study revealed that st. John’s wort is no more useful than a placebo in cases of acute depression (Hypericum depression trial study group, 2002). It is a little, weedy shrub that is cultivated in warm climates .Though it tastes quite bitter, all parts of the plant, bud, stem, and leaves can be used as an herbal medicine for depression. With this inviting plant so many people prefer to treat their depression .So there are various clinicians and researchers who have skepticism that this product of nature can truly be as helpful in curing
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Depression is a condition that affects one in every 10 people sometime during their lifetime. Over 80% of those people do not receive treatment or medication. Many people with depression have factors like obesity, sleep disorders, and lack of education.
Depression is one of the most common psychological problems. Each year over 17 million Americans experience a period of clinical depression. Thus, depression affects nearly everyone through personal experiences or through depression in a family member or friend.
Health claims are booming in today’s world. Many of these consumers are being misled by advertising and believe that their choice will benefit their health. Although herbal medicines have been in existence throughout human evolution, I have chosen to take a deeper look into these health practices. I’m curious if this is just another health claim or if there are actual benefits to taking these medicines.
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.