St. John’s Wort for Depression

A 2008 study found that a standardized extract of 300mg of St. John’s wort three times daily significantly improved symptoms of depression and helped reduce relapse of a depressive episode compared to placebo over 26 weeks. St. John's Wort is a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. St. John’s wort can interact with many medications. St. John’s wort may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, digestive or other side effects.

Kasper S, Volz HP, Möller HJ, Dienel A, Kieser M. Continuation and long-term maintenance treatment with Hypericum extract WS 5570 after recovery from an acute episode of moderate depression--a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled long-term trial. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2008 Nov;18(11):803-13. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2008.06.006. Epub 2008 Aug 9. PMID: 18694635.

Peterson B, Nguyen H. St. John's Wort. [Updated 2023 May 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557465/