An Overview of St. John’s Wort Spray for Depressive Symptoms

February 28th, 2009 by Alex

St. John’s Wort has a long and impressive history as one of the most successful natural herbal remedies. In Europe, it is estimated that St. John’s Wort is used more often than Prozac to treat the symptoms associated with mild to moderate depression. Recently, new St. John’s Wort sprays have hit the American markets. These homeopathic sprays have been formulated and produced under the guidelines of the homeopathic pharmacopoeia of the United States. It has been reported to provide fast relief for mild to moderate depression.

A little about St. John’s Wort

Even if you have never tried it, you have probably heard of St. John’s Wort. The scientific name for the plant is Hypericum perforatum. The herb’s common name is named after St. John the Baptist. As a plant, it grows short with bright yellow flowers. To some, St. John’s Wort is a nasty and troublesome weed. To others, it is one of the most valuable healing herbs around. It has a long 2,400 year history of safe and effective use in folk medicine. There is evidence that it was used in ancient herbal medicine. There is even evidence that Hypericum was prescribed by Hippocrated himself.

Is there proof that St. John’s Wort really works?

Many people who are curious about St. John’s Wort want to know if it really works. The good news is that there is plenty of evidence that it really does work. In a series of double-blind and placebo-controlled studies, there is evidence that a specific extract of Hypericum perforatum was just as effective as some prescription antidepressants. More good news: these research studies also found that Hypericum perforatum had far fewer side effects than the comparable prescription antidepressants. Even better news is that Hypericum perfratum, or St. John’s Wort, is available without a prescription and costs much less than a typical prescription. It is estimated that in some European countries, in Germany for example, more than fifty percent of depression cases are treated with St. John’s Wort. Compare this with Prozac, which only holds about a two percent market share on all cases of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.

Getting the highest quality St. John’s Wort

One of the problems in using St. John’s Wort and other popular herbal remedies is that you don’t always know exactly what you are getting with herbal preparations. There are many high quality herbal remedies out there, and there are also some formulations that are low quality. You should know exactly what you are getting when you decide to purchase St. John’s Wort spray. In many cases, you can end up with a concoction that is the result of dried and ground up Hypericum perforatum that has been placed into capsules and call it St. John’s Wort. Although they are right—they are selling St. John’s Wort—this is not the ideal method of preparation for the highest quality and the best results. When you are buying St. John’s Wort, you should look for research-grade Hypericum since is the only kind that has (so far) been proven to be effective against the symptoms of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.

Choose a St. John’s Wort Spray made through alcohol extraction

As of now, your safest bet is to buy a St. John’s Wort formulation that has been obtained through alcohol extraction. If you are seeking to get the same kinds of results that have been shown to be successful in medical studies, you should be advised to seek the same extract formulation that has been researched and studied. Look for a spray that indicates the St. John’s Wort was derived through alcohol extraction.