Hypericum & Depression

Study 9

Hypericum extract in the treatment of depression: An effective alternative

Au: Reh C, Laux P, Schenk N. :

So: Therapiewoche 1992; 42:1576-81

Description

50 patients aged 20-65 years were given either two capsules of Neuroplant (25 mg total hypericin each) two times a day or a placebo for eight weeks.

Entrance criteria were neurotic depression (ICD 09 300.4), brief depressive reaction (ICD 09 309.0) and other unclassified depressive states (ICD 311.0).

Target parameters were the Hamilton Depression scale (HAMD), the Hamilton Anxiety scale (HAMA), the Clinical Global impression scale (CGI) and the von Zerssen self-rating scale (D-S).

Results

The mean HAMD fell from 19 at the beginning to 8 at the end in the hypericum group and from 20 to 14 in the placebo group. The difference was statistically significant with a p< 0.02.

80% of the patients in the hypericum group were classified as responders according to HAMD, compared to 44% in the placebo group.

The mean D-S fell from 30 at the beginning to 9 at the end in the hypericum group and from 32 to 22 in the placebo group.

• The mean HAMA was lowered by 70% in the hypericum group and 42.1% in the placebo group.
• According to the CGI, 90% of the hypericum group and 55% of the placebo group got better.
• The results after eight weeks were much better than after four weeks.

No side effects were noted in either group.

Our comments

This study lasted eight weeks. More than 50% of the effect came between weeks four and eight. This implies that long-term studies may show hypericum to be even more effective, and that no one has yet seen when the effect of hypericum fades out, as even in this study, the results continued to get better from week 6 to 8.

Copyright © 1996 by Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. and Peter McWilliams