How to Use St. John's Wort to Treat Depression

It has been estimated that nearly 10 percent of the population either currently suffers from or has suffered from depression, in one form or another. There are numerous prescription medicines available to treat the symptoms of depression, but an increasing number of patients are turning to the herb St. John's Wort, also known as hypericum, to treat it.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. St. John's Wort has been proven to be effective in treating this type of depression. Depression can cause sadness, sleep problems, appetite changes, irritability, problems with concentration and an overall sense of despair.

• 2

  Seek alternative treatment options if you are experiencing a severely debilitating depressive episode or have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. St. John's Wort is not an appropriate treatment for these types of depression. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure as to whether your depression falls into one of these categories.

• 3

  Stop (with your physician's guidance) taking any mono-amino-oxidase (MAO) inhibitors at least 4 weeks before beginning to use St. John's Wort. Combining the two can cause a serious interaction in which your blood pressure can rise dangerously high.

• 4

  Work in conjunction with your doctor to come up with a plan to taper off any antidepressant drugs you are currently taking. When the medication is no longer in your system, you can begin taking St. John's Wort to treat your depression.

• 5

  Find a therapeutic grade, standardized preparation of St. John's Wort, either at your pharmacy or local health-food store. A therapeutic extract of St. John's Wort has to have been produced by alcohol extraction and is standardized to contain 3 percent of the active ingredient, hypericin.

• 6

  Begin taking St. John's Wort 3 times a day to gain the most benefit from the herb's antidepressant properties. The capsules come in a 30-mg. dose.

• 7

  Use care in the sun while taking St. John's Wort. It causes photosensitivity, which means you are more susceptible to sunburn and heat-related illnesses.

• 8

  Expect to wait 4 to 6 weeks to feel the full effects of St. John's Wort. Talk to your doctor if you don't begin to see any improvement in that time.