St. John's Wort Vs. Celexa

A once-daily dose of St. John's wort extract finished in a dead heat against the popular pharmaceutical anti-depressant Celexa for cases of moderate depression. Side effects were fewer in those taking St. John's wort compared to Celexa. (Lexapro is the newer version of Celexa.)

That was the result of a study conducted in Germany last year and reported in the journal Pharmacopsychiatry .^{1, 2}

Study Specs

• Clinical trial: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter
  
• Participants: 388 outpatients, 6-week treatment
  
• Interventions: St John's wort 900 mg/day, or Celexa (citalopram) 20 mg/day, or Placebo

Findings

Based on changes in mood and number of people responding, "The hypericum [St. John's wort] group was not statistically different from the citalopram [Celexa] group, and significantly superior to the placebo group."

"Significantly more adverse events with "certain", "probable" or "possible" relation to study medication were documented in the citalopram group."

"These results revealed that hypericum extract STW3-VI is a good alternative to chemically defined antidepressants in the treatment of outpatients with moderate depression."

There's a wealth of untapped therapeutic aid to be found in botanicals. It's unfortunate there isn't a good pool of research to assure its safety and efficacy, not in the US at least. I don't expect that will change soon given the disparity in industry profits between herbals and synthetics:

Retail price for 30 day supply:

• St. John's wort extract, 300 mg, 90 caps: $8.99 (Vitamin Shoppe brand)
  
• Celexa (Forest Pharmaceuticals), 20 mg, 30 tabs: $103.62 (Drugstore.com)

No wonder Europe embraces herbal medicine. (The National Institute of Mental Health states that, "Today in Germany, Hypericum [St. John's wort] is used in the treatment of depression more than any other antidepressant.") Their governments are footing their healthcare bills.


Related Post: Depression Ups the Risk for Heart Attack

________¹ Comparative Efficacy and Safety of a Once-Daily Dosage of Hypericum Extract STW3-VI and Citalopram in Patients with Moderate Depression: A Double-Blind, Randomised, Multicentre, Placebo-Controlled Study
² It's a good idea to check with your doctor before self-medicating depression. There's a risk in undertreating more potent, clinical depression. And it's come to light that children and adolescents may experience sudden, undesirable changes in mood while taking an antidepressant. In regards to St. John's wort specifically, this herb affects a particular enzymatic pathway that the body uses to metabolize drugs. As such, it may interfere with the action of other drugs you may be taking. Just get the nod from your doc.