St John's Wort Extract Effective At Treating Depression

Category: Conditions of the Brain

A study comparing the effects of an extract of St. John's Wort to Paroxetine, a commonly prescribed antidepressant was carried out in Germany. The results of this multicenter double blind trial were published in March in the British Medical Journal.

The study compared the effects of 300mg of St. John's Wort given 3 times a day to 20mg of paroxetine for 6 weeks. The study enrolled 251 participants with moderate to severe depression based on a Hamilton Depression Scale of >=22. The outcome variables were changes in the Hamilton Depression Scale from baseline, Beck Depression Inventory, clinical global impression, and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale.

Overall, participants in the St. John's Wort group had a mean decrease in the Hamilton Rating Scale score of 14.4 or 56.6%. The participants in the paroxetine group had a mean decrease of 11.4 or 44.8%. St. John's Wort significantly decreased the score compared to paroxetine. Difference in other variables between the groups was insignificant. St. John's Wort had a lower incidence of adverse events compared to paroxetine.

The authors concluded that St. John's Wort extract was as effective, if not superior, to paroxetine in treating moderate to severe depression. St. John's Wort was also better tolerated. Effects of long-term supplementation need to be confirmed by clinical trials.

Posted by Kristopher Foster on November 17, 2008 10:00 AM