Herb 'as effective' as anti-depressant

[Posted: Fri 11/02/2005]

By Deborah Condon

The popular herbal remedy, St John's wort, is as effective at treating moderate to severe depression, as a commonly prescribed anti-depressant, the results of a new study indicate.

Until 1999, St John's wort was available in Ireland over-the-counter. However from January 1, 2000, it became prescription only. This decision, by the then-Minister for Health, Brian Cowen, angered users of the herb and health shop owners alike. An estimated 75,000 Irish people used the herb in 1999 alone.

Mr Cowen made his decision based on advice from the Irish Medicines board, which expressed concern over a number of issues, including possible side-effects and the possibility of the herb interacting with prescribed medicines.

For the purpose of this study, a team of German researchers compared the effects of a specially manufactured extract from St John's wort with paroxetine, which is a type of anti-depressant found in, for example, Seroxat.

The study involved 301 patients, both male and female, all of whom had some form of depression. The participants, aged between 18 and 70, took either the drug or herbal extract over a six-week period.

At the end of the trial, 50% of those who had taken the herbal extract found their symptoms in decline, compared to just 35% of those taking paroxetine.

Furthermore those taking the herbal extract suffered less side-effects. Altogether there were 269 adverse effects reported among the group taking paroxetine, compared to 172 in the herbal group.

The most common side-effect reported by both groups was stomach disorders.

The researchers said that they support the use of St John's wort as 'an alternative to treat depression' and would like to see more research in this area.

Speaking to irishhealth.com, a spokesperson for the Irish Medicines Board said that St John's wort 'remains a prescription only product. The IMB cannot comment on any plans to make the product available over-the-counter in the near future'.

Details of this study are published in the British Medical Journal.