News--
Herbal Remedy as Good as Drug for Depression: Study
Feb 11, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - An extract of the herbal
remedy St. John's wort is as effective as a commonly prescribed drug
for people with moderate-to-severe depression, researchers reported
this week Friday.
They
compared the extract called WS 5570, which is made by the German
company Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, and the antidepressant
paroxetine sold by GlaxoSmithKline Plc under the brand name Paxil or
Seroxat.
St. John's wort is also known as hypericum perforatum.
"In
the treatment of moderate to severe major depression, hypericum extract
WS 5570 is at least as effective as paroxetine and is better
tolerated," Professor Armin Szegedi of the Charite-Universitatsmedizin,
part of the University of Berlin, said in a report published online by
the British Medical Journal.
In
a study funded by the German company, the researchers compared the
treatments in 251 patients, between 18 and 70 years of age, for six
weeks. Half of the patients taking the extract reported an improvement,
compared with one third taking paroxetine.
Patients taking the extract also reported fewer side effects, such as stomach disorders, according to the researchers.
Paroxetine
belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitors (SSRIs). British and European health authorities have voiced
concern that these antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide in
young people.
"Our results
support the use of hypericum extract WS 5570 as an alternative to
standard antidepressants in moderate-to-severe depression, especially
as it is well tolerated," Szegedi added.
St.
John's wort has been called nature's alternative to Prozac, but
researchers have warned that it can interfere with hormone treatment,
antibiotics and chemotherapy.
Earlier studies have shown the herbal remedy is also effective for treating patients with mild depression.
The researchers called for further studies to confirm their findings.
