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The herbal
supplement St. John's wort appears to be ineffective for people
suffering from moderate clinical depression, according to
researchers at Duke University.
St. John's
wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used for years, particularly
in Europe, for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression
but studies indicating its effectiveness have often been criticized.
Researchers
developed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study
conducted at 12 academic and community psychiatric research
clinics across the United States in which f 340 adult patients
with moderate depression were given St. John's wort or the
prescription antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft) for 8 weeks.
The daily
dose of St. John's wort ranged from 900 to 1500 mg and the
dosage of sertraline ranged from 50 to 100 mg, which is half
of the normal dose. Patients were able to continue treatment
for up to 18 additional weeks.
Based
on a standard scale of depressive symptoms, patients taking
St. John's wort showed no greater improvement in symptoms
than those taking the placebo. Patients given sertraline did
somewhat better than patients given a placebo, showing improvement
on a secondary test that measured daily functioning and levels
of distress, according to the study published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association.
"Because
hypericum is widely available, it is likely to be used for
milder depression, but its use in this population cannot be
supported until trials show clear evidence of efficacy,"
concluded the researchers. "According to available data,
hypericum should not be substituted for standard clinical
care of proven efficacy, including antidepressant medications
and specific psychotherapies, for the treatment of major depression
of moderate severity."
Source:
Depression Week
of April 14, 2002
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