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Friday, February 11, 2005The 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. .....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 study was a short one, only 6 weeks, so it's far from the last word on side effects. The major drawback to St. John's Wort is that chemically, it's similar to the very old anti-depressants called monoamine-oxidase inhibitors, which have the potential for deadly interactions with other medications and even certain foods. Take this one with a grain of salt and a large dose of caution. posted by Sydney on 2/11/2005 08:24:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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