St. John's Wort for Mood

Hi J.
I take a food supplement called Reliv for PMS and mood swings. It has helped immensely.
NO side effects or bad reactions-just steady, balanced energy and moods.
J. h

First of all, placebo or not, if it works, keep using it! The mind is a powerful tool for healing!

Second, I have used St. John's Wort very effectively! As a teacher, when I knew I was going to have PMS or had a tough day coming, I would take it! And it definitely worked!

Good luck!

St John's Wort is a plant ruled by the sun (it always starts blooming on the first day of summer-never a day sooner). For depression, it is best used for mild cases that are related to the seasons. Some sources will tell you that it causes hypersensitivity to the sun, but there is no scientific base for that in humans. Others have mentioned its interaction with birth control, but there are no documented cases of anyone actually getting pregnant (it's only a suggested possibility). There are, however, known issues with combining with antidepressant or psychoactive drugs.

Do you have an herbalist in your area? While st johns wort might not be a bad choice for you, you will probably benefit from having a custom blend made. St johns wort is not going to address hormone imbalance.

If you are interested in pursuing on your own, I absolutely recommend Rosemary Gladstar's book.
http://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Healing-Women-Rosemary-Glads...

Good luck :)

Jess, I used to be a minor herbologist ...before this society became one of lawsuits over everything and anything, and health food stores started carrying all sorts of herbal teas. Not to mention I got quite crippled and could no longer gather the herbs I needed.
I wonder if you could find an herbologist in your area to make you a blend of herbs?
It wasnt a big deal, I had an herb garden, gathered others from the woods and fields, made medicinal teas for folks. This was something my grampa and an elderly indian great great aunt taught me when I was very young. Sorta grew and folks would "donate" what they wanted to for their teas.
I used St. Johnswort primarily for women's problems. Irregular mensus, severe cramps, post partum depression, menopause. PMS..and also depression.
You need to understand that STW will not have much effect on psychotic or severe clinical depressions.
However, one of my most successful clients was a man with a manic depressive condition . ( I did NOT diagnosis...they came to me with their diagnosises) SJW would "smooth" him out..diminish the severity of his mood swings, particularly the depressive states, and lower the manic stage so he could cope with it.
It does not have a placebo effect, but is and of itself , effective.
Herbs do not work as produced chemical mixture medicines from the drugstore. For example, if I make a sleep helper tea one does not, in twenty to forty minutes, get loopy and lay down and "sleep" and wake up sluggish with a hangover.
An herbal remedy WILL help your body do what it is supposed to do. A sleep tea will have no noticable effect unless one feels a bit relaxed maybe. But when one goes to bed they will find themselves being able to sleep.
I have found that the most efficient herbal tea for any particular person is one that grows a day's walk from where they live which I consider to be twenty to forty miles.
Their bodies are used to the soil, and water ect of their homeplace. I am sure I do not know the scientific particulars of how this works.
So , yes, if SJW is helping you , fantastic...it should and in a few weeks should show even more results as it helps your body to reorient itself to working the way it should and adjusting whatever is amiss there.
STW is easily found, it grows mostly on roadsides, can be harvested, hung upside down out of the sun, then clipped into small sections. For your type of depression I would use the entire plant even some of the roots. Clip them small, less than 1/2 inch..be sure to clip the leaves and flowers which contain the medicinal oils.
You can find out how to recognize it online or most anywhere, or email me and I will describe it for you.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

Hi J.,
I work for Arbonne and we have MANY items with St. John's in the ingredients for example: St. Johnswort(scientific name: Hypericum Perforatum Extract) is found in:

- Arbonne Aromassentials Awaken Rejuvenating Mist
- Arbonne Aromassentials Reactivate Rejuvenating Mist
- Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind Rejuvenating Body Mist
There are many more, to many to list. If you send me your email I'll forward you the entire list.

Also, a GREAT book for you to read...from Belly fat to Belly flat by CW Randolph, MD. This book offers so much information about hormonal imbalance, moods, weight, etc. It's and excellent resource for so many people, men and women. I hope to hear from you because I'd love to help you.
Sincerely,
K.
###-###-####
http://www.kellymcinnis.myarbonne.com

If it works and continues to, fine. Stay with it. It's not hurting you as long as the brand of product you are taking has not had any complaints against it. The FDA does not regulate foods, so they only recall things if there has been a problem (example recent peanut butter issues, previous spinach and lettuce problems). If the product you are taking wasn't made in the US, make sure it was made in Australia or someplace else with an extremely strict regulatory agency (Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration is top notch).

But remember that it is very difficult for a person who is not a food scientist to select something from the shelves and know if it's the right amount of a recommended herb, or whether it has in it the exact amount of other nutrients needed to make it work efficiently. If you are taking this in a pill form, remember that you are not absorbing all of that pill so a lot of your money is going into something that is not nourishing you. Remember all those news reports from last year about undigested meds of all kinds being present in the water supplies of most cities & towns?

Did your doctor think your depression was caused by your monthly hormonal fluctuations? Does your depression change throughout the month? I'm not sure why he decided to throw more hormones at a hormonal issue, but many doctors are not experts in depression.

If you want to take an antidepressant, work with a psychiatrist, or a psychologist or other mental health professional who has a psychiatrist in the same practice, so that meds can be prescribed. If you don't want to take a prescription but are interested in a nutritional approach, there are products you can take which will help balance out your body and which contain no drugs. I have, with my doctor's cooperation and support, completely weaned myself off of antidepressants (which I took for 16 years) and now I am drug-free. I went with a strong company with an impeccable 20 year history of nutrition science, not someone just putting stuff on the shelves to make a quick buck. I got a lot of support from the company to help me find what works for me. I'd be happy to share more if you would like to explore this.

Hi. You are not alone. I get terribley aggressive and irritable about a week before a period and right after and bc pils made it 10x worse. I haven't found anything that really helps but if you get any good info please pass it along. I just recently started working from home referring people to an all natural company and they have a product called luminex it has St. JOhn's wort, griffonia seed, folate, and vitamin B12 I ordered some for myself I will let you know what I think of them and if you want to learn more let me know. :)

I'm in a similar boat.
I've tried herbals, and acupuncture, too - with limited success.
The only thing that really works for me is regular exercise.
Even a walk makes a difference.
I hope that you find your balance!
Good luck.

I went through the same think and my son is the same age as yours. When I looked into St. John's Wart a while ago there was some reason why I didn't take it. It was either that it messed with my Birth Control pills or shouldn't be taken while nursing. Please check this out if your on BCPs. I've been taking Mother's wart, since it's safe while breastfeeding and I still am. You can get it online or from an herbalist. It's most effective in tincture (liquid) form.

It can take a few weeks to fully kick in, just like antidepressants.

Also, I encourage you to get on a good quality B vitamin complex and cod liver oil (you can get capsules at www.drrons.com if you can't stomach the oil). The high vitamin kind. The Vit. D is excellent for depression and fatigue. Get out in the sun if you can at all!

You could most likely be hoping to see an effect. It usually takes about 2 weeks for St. John's Wort to kick in. You won't be seeing long term real effects 'til then. Give it time and be patient. Also, as a survivor of serious depression, I suggest that you try and establish some coping mechanisms. Deep breathing and relaxing exercises for the anger, a system of friends to make a support team for the sadness and depression. There is no drug that's an instance cure all. It takes the medication and you're best effort to get through it. Best of luck.

I hope you are off of the pills, I recently googled mirena and side effects and was shocked. I'm getting mine out today. St Johns is good, just do some research, and always mention it to a prescribing doctor due to possible drug interactions. Good luck!

My very good advise to you is to google a naturopathic doctor in your area. He can easily test your seratonin levels and other brain imbalances. Then he can suggest natural substances simular to St. John's wort. It's the best thing you will ever do for ourself.
S., Good luck

Ive been taking B-50 for my moods and it really seems to help.It's over the counter in the vitamin section....very in-expensive. Best of luck.....you are not alone!

Hi, Sam-E work the same way and I have heard that it is much better than St. John's wort. You can get it at whole foods. Also if you aren't taking an omega fatty acid then you really should. I would ask your Dr. if you can take a little bit extra, the reports have said that taking it twice a day really helps the brain keep on synch and not have such mood swings, directing toward the depression side.

Glad you are trying natural remedies firts. I do believe in both but it never hurts to try it one way or the other and see what works best for you. Also, I have to say exercise is better than anything you can find in a bottle. I personally love Yoga and if I don't go every few days I am not myself. And I am not a "gym rat" type at all.

Just a thought. Oh and today try to get some sunshine ;)That always helps a person's mood. SDD is a real condition.

Good luck!

IT worked really well for me, but FYI, it interacts with oral contraceptives and renders them less effective!

I would check to see if you might like evening primrose oil. it helps hormonal fluctuations I believe.

J.,
I've heard some good things about St. John's Wort; it's natural being the best thing, but a niece took it and although had no side effects, it didn't seem to work at all for her.
If it SEEMS to be working for you after 3 days, give it more time, say try taking it for a whole month.
Some of the best advice for treating depression is keeping active by getting enough exercise. Walking is the easiest and cheapest exercise; bundle up your son, put him in a stroller and take a brisk walk. Stay out for at least 30 min. and if it's not too cold, a full 60 min. The fresh air alone will make you feel better.
In addition be sure to eat a balanced diet. Do let us know how you make out at the end of a month and there are people here who care.

I have used St. John's Wort before for mood and it does work, but it takes 2 weeks to kick in. You might be having the placebo affect now, but that does not mean it won't work later. I will caution you that St. John's Wort interacts with a lot of meds, so make sure your doc knows you are on it. For example, I had to stop taking it to go on the Nuva Ring (birth control) because it made the bc ineffective.