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St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), st johns wort, st-johns-wort…
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
General Overview
Common names
: St. John's wort, goatweed, klamath weed, racecourse weed, tipton weed,
Common international names
:
Spanish
: hierba de San Juan, hipericon
Portuguese
: hipericao, milfurada
South Africa
: Johanneskruid
Germany
: Tuepfel- Hartheu, Tuepfel-
Johanniskraut
Chinese
: guan ye lian qiao
Native to Sweden, Italy, Turkey, France, and Hungary
Considered a weed even to some of its native countries
wild plant, poisonous to livestock, negative impact on native species
it's difficult to control once exposed to countries where it isn't native, and exposure is widespread
Locations that are struggling with the invasiveness of this species
: The USA, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Hawaii, Reunion
introduced to the USA in the 1700s as a medicinal and ornamental plant
Classified as an invasive species
The Hypericum genus consists of nearly 288, including Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Invasive Species Information Center
CABI Invasive Species Compendium
Vattikuti & Ciddi (2005)
Very shrubby plant
St. John's wort is a perennial, herbaceous, broadleaved, vegetatively/seed propagated plant that grows in
humid and sub-humid temperate regions
yellow flowers, five petals, numerous protruding stamens
leaves are opposite, grow up to 2cm long
Interactive map of the USA where the species has been reported/how many positive cases reported:
https://www.eddmaps.org/distribution/usstate.cfm?sub=4411
Grows in pastures and open forests with rainfall >760 mm/year
flowering time: mainly June-Novemener
single pistil
upper portion of the plant can produce several dozen flowers
in late summer, flowers produce capsules containing dozens of dark brown seeds
freely branching shrubby herbs (40-80cm height)
oblong, smooth-margined leaves
Mueller et al., 2004)
Klemow et al., 2011
Current Medicinal Uses
St. John's wort today is
primarily
used as an alternative medicine for major and minor depression
extracted hypericin from the plant exhibits significant antidepressant activity, along with hyperforin, and xanthones of the plant
the extraction of hypericin is performed under dark conditions, and the most common method of extraction uses methanolic extraction in water bath shaker or ultrasonic bath (
Vattikuti & Ciddi, 2005
)
this method is used for dried flowering tops, leaves, and plant material
According to the
World Health Organization
, more than 264 million people worldwide suffer from depressive disorders
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
In an experiment conducted by
Apaydin et al. (2016)
, it was found that "SJW given as monotherapy for mild and moderate depression is superior to placebo in improving symptoms and not significantly different from antidepressant medication..."
In another study by Linde and Mulrow (2004), it was found that in treatment of mild to moderate depression, "SJW was as effective as tricyclic antidepressant drugs, and more effective than placebo." (
Linde and Mulrow, 2004;Howland, 2010
)
Adverse Drug Reactions between SJW and Prescription SSRI Antidepressants
In an experiment conducted by
Hoban et al., 2015
in which the amount of ADRs for St. John's wort and the amount of ADRs for Fluoxetine were compared- it was found that severe ADRs were more common for SJW, and life-threatening/fatal outcomes were more common for Fluoxetine
According to
Hoban et al., 2015
, there is a concerning amount of reported ADRs for St. John's wort, mostly affecting the central nervous system
they also found that the majority of ADRs reported for SJW and Fluoxetine both, were reported by women
In an experiment conducted by
Apaydin et al., 201
6, it was concluded that participants taking SJW as a treatment for depression experienced less adverse reactions than those taking antidepressants
in the same study it was indicated that the effect of SJW for major depressive disorder does not differ based on the severity of depression
SJW is an over the counter herbal supplement, which draws up concerns over the lack of regulations when it comes to the warning labels.
Clauson et al., 2011
reviewed 74 SJW products, and only 3 gave information on 7 out of the 8 determined safety criteria.
In the same experiment, 4 SJW products provided no safety warnings whatsoever.
Those three included: Nature Made, Douglas Labs, and New Chapter
In a survey conducted by
Pirotta et al., 2014
, a large population of randomly chosen general practice patients were asked about their use of SJW, and it was determined that patients using/having recently used SJW were possibly a group that is more proactive in seeking care for their depression.
Many participants of an experiment conducted by
Lewis et al., 2015
described the effects of St. John's wort as 'soothing,' 'calming,' and helped them feel 'stable' and 'balanced.' In this same experiment it was also reported by several participants that using SJW as a treatment for depression felt safer than taking prescription antidepressants.
One participant of this study compared her use of SJW to her previous use of antidepressants and said such: "It didn't make me feel the kind of numbness that I'd felt before. I just thought it was a bit easier to deal with things and just to get up in the morning and get on with my day. (Freya, irregular user)"
Studies suggest that SJW extract has the ability to inhibit as many as 5 neurotransmitters including: serotonin, GABA, norepinephrine, dopamine, and L-glutamate. (
Carpenter, 2011
)
*look into similarities between SJW and black cohosh
Since St. John's wort contains hypericins, it is incorporated into photodynamic therapy of cancer/viral infections
Vattikuti & Ciddi (2005)
Hypericins have been shown to be active against squamous cell carcinoma, human leukemia, fibroblasts, mouse mammary carcinoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
hypericins inhibit Epidermal Growth Factor receptor, and Protein Tyrosine Kinase activity
Olajide (2009
) compiles in vitro and in vivo evidence of SJW's anti-inflammatory properties
it is concluded that hyperforin, hypericin, and "other constituents" in the leaves are likely responsible for these properties
Hypericin Activity
British Herbal Pharmacopedia
(1983)
lists SJW as a treatment for fibrositis, sciatica, and neuralgia
the
World Health Organization (2003)
recognizes SJW as a treatment for minor cuts/burns
Even with St. John's wort growing in popularity as a treatment for depression, it is still recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties today
Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations
lists SJW as an anti-inflammatory/in rheumatism (
Williamson & Evans, 1988
)
It is noted that SJW and its components "interfere with cellular and biochemical events, which trigger the inflammatory response (
Olijide, 2009
)."
can be administered in the form of capsule, powder, tea, juice, oil extract
St. John's Wort has been known of since Greek and Roman times
popular plant in European folk medicine
its medicinal properties were described in 1st century A.D. and 2nd century A.D. by Dioscorides and Galen
properties included
: soothing agent, haemorrhoid treatment, antiphlogistic of inflammation in bronchi and urogenital tract, treatment for external injuries including burns, scabs, and ulcers, and more
In 1633, Gerard described SJW's effectiveness against burns, wounds, and snake bites (
Boyle, 2018
)
According to Vattikuti & Ciddi (2006)
Invasiveness/Distribution
More than 80% of SJW infestation in Australia occurs in native forests (
Buckley et al., 2003
)
"A serious weed of pastoral and natural ecosystems in South-Eastern Australia" (
Buckley et al., 2003
)
It's also well established in North and South America, New Zealand, and South Africa (
Campbell, Briese & Delfosse, 1995; Buckley et al., 2003
)
Cultivated as a crop in North America and parts of Europe
Large seed banks are maintained for an estimation of 30 years (
Harris & Gill, 1997
)
N/A category
construction
firewood
insecticide/pesticide/herbicide
fibers
fumitory and masticory
spices
textiles
wood
food
dyes
biofules
Antidepressant uses/properties
Anticancer uses/properties
Traditional Medicinal Uses
Anti-Inflammatory uses/properties
Chemical constituents (Vattikuti & Ciddi, 2005)
*
*
(need more info on tea/juices)
Need to gather more info on beverages(teas/juices), essential oils, ornaments
