Herbal Anxiety Remedies
Depression is getting more and more common in the United States. With 1 in 10 Americans currently on Prescription anti depressants, many people are trying to find an effective alternative. One such herbal anxiety remedy is St John’s Wort.
St John’s Wort or sometime called Hypericum which is its Latin name has been used through history for its medicinal qualities, the first records of its use date back to ancient Greece. Going through the centuries it has been hailed as miracle cure for everything from burns to constipation
I believe that the first time that St John’s Wort was referenced for treating anxiety was in 1618 which was in a text by Angelo Salo about the treatment of anxiety, hallucinations and melancholia. He Said “St. John’s Wort cures these disorders as quick as lightening.”
So throughout the ages this has been a medicinal herb and we have established that it can treat mental conditions, but can it really compete with modern medicine. To my knowledge there have been at least 8 major clinical studies to compare St John’s Wort to other SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) such as Prescription anti depressants, when used as an anti depressant. The results of which seem to suggest that for mild to medium severity depression the groups that were given hypericum generally performed as well as those that were taking the SSRI drugs
One interesting fact is that the longer the studies run the more effective the St John’s Wort seems to become. This would suggest that it takes time for the herb to become most effective. Whereas the SSRI took effect much quicker
The one overwhelming thing that comes from pretty much all studies that have been carried out is that by the end of the studies, all the researchers involved clearly recommend hypericum for the treatment of mild to moderate depressions in outpatient clinics due to its broad therapeutic window, benign effect-side-effect profile and good compliance.
So in conclusion is it as good as Prescription anti depressants well yes and no. It would seem that for the herb to work well you need to be taken it for at least a month and I realize that for any type of depression a month is long time and so Prescription anti depressants wins out there. But it is worth keeping in your mind as an option maybe even for when you want to come of the Prescription anti depressants. But When deciding whether to get Prescription anti depressants or try a more natural medicine you must also compare the large amount of side effects that Prescription anti depressants can give compared to that of a herbal medicine.
