ACTION

Antidepressant, Antiviral, Sedative, Relieves pain.

KEY CONSTITUENTS

Volatile oils (carophyllene, 2-methyloctane, undecane, dodecanol, mono and sesquiterpenes); Flavonoids (hyperoside, quercitrin, rutin, isoquercitrin, amentoflavone), Acylphloroglucinols (hyperforin); Anthracene derivatives (Hypericin and pseudohypericin); Xanthones (1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxy-xanthone); Oligomeric procyanidines; Catechin tannins; Caffeic acid derivatives (chlorogenic acid).

INDICATION

Depressive moods, Anxiety, Wounds, Cuts, Burns, Skin inflammations.

Most prescription antidepressants cause sexual dysfunction. Majority of people on Prozac and other antidepressants, both male and female, experience some form of a sexual problem which can be, loss of libido, inability to achieve or greatly reduced orgasm and, in men, loss of the ability to have an erection. St. John's Wort does not have these side effects.

Hypericum extracts have been shown to inhibit HIV in test tubes. The inhibition occurs because of the effect it has on reverse transcriptase.

The anti-inflammatory effect of Hypericin is due to its inhibitory effect on the release of arachidonic acid and leukotriene B. Hypericin is also an inhibitor of protein kinase C, a chemical important in the replication of cancer cells.

The phloroglucinol, hyperforin, inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in approximately equal amounts and causes significant reuptake inhibition of GABA and L-Glutamate. The combination of these effects gives it the antidepressive and sedative properties. In addition, hyperforin possesses antibiotic properties.

The proanthocyanidins are known to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral and vasorelaxant properties.

RESEARCH

St. John's wort causes an inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, in approximately equal amounts (Nathan, P. 1999). This causes a prolonged effect of the neurotransmitter.

REFERENCES

Bennett, D.A. Jr., Phun, L., Polk, J.F., Voglino, S.A., Zlotnik, V., Raffa, R.B. (1998). Neuropharmacology of St. John's Wort (Hypericum). Ann. Pharmacother. 32(11):1201-8

Kaehler, S.T., Sinner, C., Chatterjee, S.S. and Philippu, A. (1999). Hyperforin enhances the extracellular concentrations of catecholamines, serotonin and glutamate in the rat locus coeruleus. Neurosci. Lett. 12;262(3):199-202

Nathan, P. (1999). The experimental and clinical pharmacology of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.). Mol. Psychiatry 4(4):333-338

Neary, J.T. and Bu, Y. (1999). Hypericum LI 160 inhibits uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine in astrocytes. Brain Res. 816(2):358-63

Perovic, S. and Muller, W.E. (1995). Pharmacological profile of hypericum extract. Effect on serotonin uptake by postsynaptic receptors. Arzneimittelforschung 45(11):1145-8

Raffa, R.B. (1998). Screen of receptor and uptake-site activity of hypericin component of St. John's wort reveals sigma receptor binding. Life Sci. 62(16):PL265-70

Simmen, U., Burkard, W., Berger, K., Schaffner, W. and Lundstrom, K. (1999). Extracts and constituents of Hypericum perforatum inhibit the binding of various ligands to recombinant receptors expressed with the Semliki Forest virus system. J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. 19(1-4):59-74

Singer, A., Wonnemann, M. and Muller, W.E. (1999). Hyperforin, a major antidepressant constituent of st. John's wort, inhibits serotonin uptake by elevating free intracellular Na. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 290(3):1363-8

Teufel-Mayer, R., Gleitz, J. (1997). Effects of long-term administration of hypericum extracts on the affinity and density of the central serotonergic 5-HT1 A and 5-HT2 A receptors. Pharmacopsychiatry Suppl 2:113-6

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.