tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886575137375451769.post885869366397479147..comments2023-08-08T00:53:58.434-07:00Comments on Garth Kroeker: St. John's WortGKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14714377295981745087noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886575137375451769.post-35240641622770770592011-08-13T09:54:01.229-07:002011-08-13T09:54:01.229-07:002011 study on SJW.
Pretty much the same conclusio...2011 study on SJW.<br /><br />Pretty much the same conclusions...<br /><br />http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21438644Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886575137375451769.post-63457945549997382772009-05-21T10:28:20.640-07:002009-05-21T10:28:20.640-07:00As you can see from my post, I'm pretty enthusiast...As you can see from my post, I'm pretty enthusiastic about encouraging people to give St. John's Wort a try. <br /><br />BUT the quoted study is written by the "head of clinical research" of Zeller AG, which is the manufacturer of the St.John's Wort extract used in the study. There is an obvious conflict-of-interest problem here. Furthermore, there is no randomization, and no placebo or comparison group. <br /><br />The study claims to be a "safety study", which supposedly aims to assess side-effects over longer-term use--yet the paper oversteps this bound by making claims about medication effectiveness: here is the concluding sentence in the paper: "Therefore, St. John's wort extract ZE 117 is a safe and effective way to treat mild to moderate depression over long periods of time, and therefore seems especially suitable for a relapse prevention." Such talk is typical of the salesmanship going on by pharmaceutical marketers. <br /><br />I do think the study adds a little bit of evidence that St. John's Wort can be well-tolerated, and possibly useful, for treating or preventing depression, over longer-term use. <br /><br />As a final note, I should say that in depression treatment studies, I consider "long-term" to mean 3-5 years or more. 1 year of follow-up is better than most studies, but we really need more studies following patients for at least 5 years to understand preventative effects and long-term safety. There are a few such studies of standard antidepressants, I've alluded to them in a different post.GKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14714377295981745087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886575137375451769.post-67873864248937382902009-05-20T23:30:04.659-07:002009-05-20T23:30:04.659-07:00St. John's Wort article published March 2009. ...St. John's Wort article published March 2009. <br /><br />http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B7GVW-4VVW4NV-1&_user=1022551&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050484&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1022551&md5=56c467d28236ca8e7ddbc5000ccafbe5<br /><br />Title: Long-term effects of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) treatment: A 1-year safety study in mild to moderate depression <br /><br />Author:Axel Brattström<br /><br />Potentially, the results could be bias due to conflict of interest but interesting none the less!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886575137375451769.post-61802499777120275762009-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:002009-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:001)I would add that people should pay close attenti...1)I would add that people should pay close attention to drug interactions with herbs. <BR/><BR/>For example: St John's Wort can increase the metabolism of OCs and therefore decrease the efficacy of them (which may be especially important for university aged women).<BR/><BR/>2)Anyone who would like to try St. John's Wart should ask/inform their primary physician first to avoid potentially harmful interactions.<BR/><BR/>3) Keep in mind that every MD has a different opinion on non-allopatic medicine. Some physicians try to merge allopathic and non-allopathic but others completely disregard herbals and nutraceuticals. Therefore you may want to get a second opinion if need be.<BR/><BR/>4) Remember that there is usually an additive effect observed when taking St. John's Wart and another antidepressant.<BR/><BR/>Lastly: I just wanted to mention a little on the regulation of NHP (natural health products)<BR/>-The last time I checked all Canadian products that fit under the NHP definition must obtain their product licenses by December 31, 2009 (ie. food (no health claims) vs drug (with health claims). These should be subjected to strict regulation but the decision to market in this way is voluntary. The regulations, standards, efficacy studies and toxicity studies are lacking. There is a lack of safely data,a lack quality control, undeclared ingredients, intentional adulteration, unknown or questionable sources and confusing literature. <BR/><BR/>Also keep in mind that plant products are use in pharmaceuticals all the time (ie: allopathic phytopharmaceuticals) For example, plants can be a direct sources for therapeutic agents (such as Digoxin), a source for raw materials for synthesis, or the structure of a plant substance can be uses as a model for new compounds. (Please be aware that I am slightly biased here and believe that if there was a magic NHP for any common mental health problems the pharmaceutical industry would jump on it and impose strict regulations upon it to leach as much money as possible from the people who need it. But whatever helps i guess, even if it is a placebo effect.)=)<BR/><BR/>If you want more info:<BR/>-Natural Health Products Directorate. <BR/>http://www.hc-sc.gc/hpb/onhp<BR/>(This is anticipated to be a stable site with valuable information.)<BR/><BR/>-Camline.<BR/>www.camline.org. (This site has valuable information but its stability is uncertain. It depends on whether good people continue to develop and maintain it. )<BR/><BR/>-Chandler F. Herbs: Everyday Reference for Health Professionals. <BR/>Ottawa: CphA &CMA, 2000. <BR/>(This is a very useful reference with credible sponsors. It is limited in its coverage. Its continuing value will depend on regular revisions. )<BR/><BR/>-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine<BR/>http://nccam.nih.gov<BR/>(This is anticipated to be a stable site with valuable information.)<BR/><BR/>A note to GK-<BR/>(You may also want to comment on Valerian, the sedative/hypnotic, and Kava, the anxiolytic.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com