St. John Wort is long living plant with yellow flowers containing many chemical compounds like hypericin and hyperforin. For centuries, St. John’s Wort has been used to treat mental disorders as well as nerve pain. Herbal specialists and doctors in ancient times used this herb as a sedative and treatment for malaria as well as a balm for wounds, burns and insect bits. In addition to the above uses, St. John’s Wort is used to treat mild to moderate depression, anxiety or sleep disorders.

Antidepressants medications have unpleasant side effects such as dry mouth, nausea, sleep, etc, while talk therapy could be costly solution for some people. People turn to herbal preparations like St. John Wort because it costs less than many antidepressant medications and can be purchased over the counter.

St. John’s Wort is widely prescribed for depression in Europe. In USA, St. John Wort is among top selling herbal product, though it is not a prescribed medicine. St. John’s Wort is sold as capsules, teas and extracts forms.

St. John’s Wort is not “The” herbal therapy for depression. Scientific studies have shown effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in the treatment of mild to moderate cases of depression. Though recent studies dont support using St. John’s Wort in treating moderate to major depression cases. If St. John’s Wort is taken in large quantity or mingles with any other kind of antidepressants or medications, it could have adverse effects. Though St. John Wort’s is not a proven therapy for depression, European countries like Germany prescribe it this herb for depressive disorder than any other antidepressants.