St John's Wort And Menopause Pt IYes - St John's Wort Can Help In MenopauseSt John's wort has been used since the middle ages as a valuable relaxing herb. It also has long-lasting tonic effects on the whole nervous system. Most people know st john's wort for being the herb of choice for mild to moderate depression. For this reason it has a place in menopause. Menopause - Some Strong Evidence of BenefitsSt John's wort has proven very helpful during menopause for other purposes too.
In a clinical study in Germany, 111 women aged from 43-65 years were given 12 weeks treatment with St John's Wort at standard dosage. In 75-80% of women, their menopausal symptoms diminished or disappeared completely - an amazing result! In addition, the St John's wort was also reported to improve 'sexual well-being'. (Advances in Therapy 1999 Jul- Aug;16(4):177-86) The results of this study may sound too good to be true; but there must be something in them. It must be worth trying St John's wort if you are approaching or in the menopause. Another aproach would be to combine St John's wort with a herbal formula aimed more at balancing the hormone system deeper down. In other words, aimed more at the cause of the menopausal symptoms. Such a formula would include a balanced mixture of herbs such as Carbenia (blessed thistle), Agnus Castus, Dong Quai, Smilax (Sarsaparilla), Licorice, Mitchella (Squaw Vine), and other herbs. This type of formula is available from some herbalists. I could go on to the benefits of liver cleansing when in the menopause... but let's leave that to another day. St John's wort is a persistent, gentle nerve tonic, boosting the whole nervous system when taken regularly over an extended period say for 3-6 months. This can help during menopause and in other situations. If long-term stress has led to nervous exhaustion, St John's wort will often help, slowly but surely, to building the energy level back up towards normal. This long, slow building up of energy via the nervous system is something shared by a few other valuable Western herbs, such as Verbena (vervain) and Scutellaria (scullcap). The value of such herbs is that they calm the nervous system while they build it up. This is an opposite effect to that of sedative drugs, which can certainly calm the nervous system, but have no tonic powers. There is certainly a place for drugs in our 'ideal healthcare' system - especially in emergency situations. But herbal and similar remedies are a better answer in many - in fact, probably most - situations where drugs are used today. Depressions and St John's WortOn to the best known use for St John's wort - that of helping banish depression. St John's wort is generally recommended for cases of mild to moderate depression. (There don't seem to have been any studies of St John's Wort being used in cases of severe depression.) In Germany, St John's wort has been prescribed for depression by doctors for decades. In 1994 alone, 66 million doses of the herb were taken. In fact, St John's wort is a 'quasi-drug' in that country; in that it is packaged like a drug, produced by pharmaceutical companies, and prescribed widely by doctors. News of St John's wort's benefits has slowly filtered out to the rest of Europe so that in the UK, for example, hardly a day goes by without an article in the papers about St John's wort and depression. How Much Evidence Is There?Lots. Many studies have been performed where St John's wort has been tested against a placebo - ie a sugar tablet; and against a standard drug widely used for depression. The results are generally that: 1. St John's wort is considerably better than a placebo at alleviating mild to moderate depression. In other words, it is not just 'suggestion' that makes people taking St John's Wort feel less depressed. 2. It is equally as good, or nearly as good, as the drug it is compared with in the studies carried out, but has few or no side effects. This is a very important point, as doctors - and members of the public - are very aware of the many side effects of many common anti-depressant drugs - not least, addiction. 3. Being a tonic for the nervous system, St John's wort is superior to anti-depressive drugs, which tend to weaken the body. This is a vital point! These drugs often make you walk around in a semi-catatonic state - and who wouldn't be weakened after a few months of that? Whereas St John's wort has a centuries-old tradition of strengthening the nervous system while it reduces depression - a valuable combination indeed. One StudyWhere a scientific study has been carried out, it is usually fairly dense and hard to interpret for most of us mortals. So it is useful to see a summary of the study. This is often provided by the team who performed the study, and is called an scientific 'extract'. Here are links to one scientific extract from a study involving St John's wort and depression. www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sajohn06.html Click here to go to Part 2; St John's wort - cautions and dosage ResourcesHerbs: Articles: |
Clinical Study
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