St. John Wort Research Paper

Since the beginning of human civilization, herbal medicines have been used to treat various illnesses and maladies. Currently, patients looking for an alternate for prescription medications are often turning to botanicals to treat their condition. One such herb, St. John’s wort, is being used to treat depression. It is essential that nurses understand the implications of using this herb with regard to drug interactions, efficacy, safety, undesirable side effects, and contraindications. Hypericum perforatum, better known as St. John’s wort, is a wild plant with yellow flowers. The plant has 370 species and typically grows in temperate climates in North America, Europe, India, China and Brazil. It is also known as Amber, Demon chaser, Goatweed, Rosin rose and Tipton’s weed. The active component in St. John’s wort is hypercin. Its antidepressant action may be due to the herb’s ability to inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and other neurotransmitters (Deglin, J., Vallerand, A., & Sanoski, C., 2011). For centuries, extracts of St. John’s wort has been used to treat nerve pain and mental disorders (Acee,
Serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening, can occur when supplementing antidepressants with over-the-counter drugs that increase serotonin, such as St. John’s wort (Varcarolis, 2009). Research from the NIH (2008) revealed that St. John’s wort may reduce the effectiveness of some drugs by speeding up activity in key pathways, resulting in the body breaking down drugs faster and making them less effective (e.g., birth control pills, heart disease and depression medications). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory warning physicians of these potential adverse effects and advising them to inform their