What Research Should You Believe? St. John's Wort Helps People With Major Depression

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Depression
Article Date: 05 Dec 2008 - 4:00 PST

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Scientific studies now support what herbal medical practitioners have long known - St. John's wort is an effective treatment for major depression.

"Overall, we found that the St. John's wort extracts tested in the (29) trials were superior to placebos and as effective as standard antidepressants, with fewer side effects," says lead researcher, Klaus Linde, of the Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich, Germany.

However, combining St. John's wort with other medications* may cause complications - consult a doctor first.

CIHR is a partner in the Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

The CIHR is the Government of Canada's health research funding agency, and is involved in׃

-- Supporting the work of more than 11,000 researchers and trainees in universities, teaching hospitals, and research institutes across Canada

-- Developing high-quality people, excellent science and training the next generation of health researchers

-- Funding research that improves Canadians' health, health care system and quality of life

-- Fostering commercialization, moving research discoveries from academic setting to the marketplace

-- Allocating 94 cents of every dollar directly to fund Canadian health researchers

* Further information can be found here.

Source
David Coulombe
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
http://cihr-irsc.gc.ca