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ST. JOHN'S WORT AS GOOD AS IMIPRAMINE FOR MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION

NEW YORK - St. John's wort, given to patients with
mild to moderate depression, offers the same benefits
as the anti-depressant imipramine, with fewer side
effects, according to researchers.

"The results of this study support the conclusion that
the 2 treatments are therapeutically equivalent,"
writes Helmut Woelk, at the Akademisches
Lehrkrankenhaus der Universitat Giessan, Germany, in
the September 2nd issue of the British Medical
Journal.

"There was some evidence to suggest that the hypericum
(St. John's wort) may be better than imipramine in
relieving anxiety associated with depression although
there were no differences in any of the measures of
efficacy," he continued.

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Although the two treatments had the same clinical
effect on depression, the patients receiving St.
John's wort experienced fewer side effects than those
using the imipramine.

While 4 of 157 (3%) patients using St. John's wort
stopped treatment because of adverse effects, 26 of
167 (16%) taking imiprimine withdrew from treatment
because of negative events, including dry mouth,
sweating, dizziness, nausea, weakness and headache.

Woelk evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the
St. John's wort in extract form, comparing it with 150
mg (considered a full therapeutic dose) of imipramine,
one of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants.


The 324 participants, who were patients in 40
psychiatric, internal medicine and general medicine
practices in Germany, were randomly treated with
either 0.2% St. John's wort extract, or 75 mg of
imipramine twice daily.

St. John's wort, or Hypericum perforatum, has been
used since ancient times for treating a variety of
ills, and is now a licensed medication used to treat
depression and anxiety in many European countries.

Although its value has been touted in previous
research, few studies have actually established
whether St. John's wort is as effective as tricyclic
antidepressants or placebos.

"In view of the mounting evidence of hypericum's
comparable efficacy to other antidepressants and its
safety record, hypericum should be considered for
first line treatment in mild to moderate depression,
especially in the primary care setting," Woelk
concludes.

*****************************************************************
Try TRANQUELL with St. Johns Wort for you mild to moderate
depression. Tranquell also has B vitamins to help with
Stress. Find Tranquell at......
http://www.herbals-unlimited.com/tranq.htm
*****************************************************************