# St John's Wort Ineffective as Anti-Depressant



## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

*Herb ineffective as anti-depressant*


> quote:The popular herbal supplement, St John's wort, is an ineffective treatment for depression, a major study has found.Researchers have conducted the largest ever clinical trial into the impact of the herb on *major depression - a moderately severe form of the condition.*The researchers, from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, found it had no more impact than a dummy medicine...Previous research have suggested that St John's wort may have a positive impact on depression. But the Duke researchers said that these studies may not have clearly defined which types of depression responded well...Dr Califf said: "Just because St. John's wort was found to be ineffective for this type of depression does not mean it is harmless to the body.


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/ne...000/1917359.stm


----------

