Oct 14 2008
Sizing Up St. John’s Wort
Hmm. Was I wrong in concluding that St. John’s Wort was little more than placebo? (Mind you, I have been wrong before and will be wrong again.) I had come to that conclusion after encountering and reading a well-designed and controlled study conducted in the good ole U.S. of A.
So I was a bit surprised when my eyes hit upon this headline: St. John’s Wort Relieves Symptoms Of Major Depression, Study Shows. The article states:
New research provides support for the use of St. John’s wort extracts in treating major depression. A Cochrane Systematic Review backs up previous research that showed the plant extract is effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorders.
“Overall, we found that the St. John’s wort extracts tested in the 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.
Hmm. The “new research,” was a systematic review of previously conducted research. In other words, the new research wasn’t a meta-analysis, which itself would necessitate a grain of salt to accept. It was a “Chochrane Systematic Review.” What, pray tell, is that? As far as I can tell it is a methodological review of research findings contained in the Chochrane database. The method employ depends upon the author. Interestingly, nearly all of the positive studies were conducted in Germany. Why is that?
Alright, so maybe I’ll refine my conclusion. St. John’s Wort may be effective, but the jury is still out.
Here are a couple questions I have. 1) Does it matter that the reviewer is from the “Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich, Germany”? (Maybe?)
2) How is this complimentary medicine? Rename St. John’s Wort as, say, ”hypericumozac” (i.e. tag the extract containing the active ingredient — Hypericum perforatum — with a pharma-sounding name, and how, pray tell, does this type of medicine belong in a distinct category? If you get some finely ground twigs and bark in your pills, does that make it complimentary medicine?
It’s always wise to question the reliability of studies, especially when their source may be a bit iffy. My BS meter would certainly be twitching at this one. However, just for the record, I tried St. John’s Wort after having given up on prescription meds for depression. The herb had exactly the same effect on me as Prozac. Luckily, it was much milder and moved out of my body much more quickly. The Prozac was a trip through hell, and the St. John’s Wort just barely escaped being that. I was anticipating a beneficial effect, so I think it’s safe to say that the actual effect wasn’t a placebo.