Origin of the name
The generic Latin name of the plant comes from the Greek words (Greek hypo — under, among and ereike — heather) and means “the one that grows among the heather”. The origin of the name “St. John’s wort”, according to some assumptions, comes from the Kazakh word “dzherabay”, which means “healer of wounds”, according to others — because of the plant’s ability to cause disease in sheep and other livestock. In England and North America, St. John’s wort is known as St. Johns wort. In these countries, St. John’s wort owes its name to what blooms during the summer solstice close to St. John’s Day on June 24.
The use of St. John’s wort in antiquity
In ancient beliefs, St. John’s wort was considered a plant that arose from a bird that brought fire to the ground and was killed for this by forces hostile to people.
In ancient times, many nations considered St. John’s wort a magic potion. Not only was it used to protect people and animals from witches, demons, and evil diseases, but it was also added to the fire in the manufacture of the “Freikugel”, a German axe.
Paracelsus was one of the first doctors to become interested in St. John’s wort. Our ancestors believed that St. John’s wort heals from 99 diseases. Traditionally, preparations with St. John’s wort are used to treat heart disease, colds and flu, headache and joint pain, radiculitis, arthritis, chronic gastritis, colitis, diseases of the stomach, liver, bladder, hemorrhoids, stomatitis, periodontal disease, etc. It seems that 99 diseases for this miraculous plant are not the limit.
Where previously it was used for a multitude of indications, recently it has found its place in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.
According to the World Health Organization, about 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression.
In Ukraine, depression is the most common problem among mental disorders.
Ukrainians suffer from depression much more often than residents of the European Union. And morbidity rates in our country continue to grow.
A mild form of depression can be cured without medication, using certain psychotherapeutic methods. But in moderate to severe form, medical treatment may be required.
St. John’s wort is most often used for “blues” or depression and symptoms that are sometimes combined with mood such as nervousness, fatigue, poor appetite and sleep problems.
There is strong scientific evidence that it is effective in mild to moderate depression.
A Cochrane systematic review found that St. John’s wort extracts tested in trials were superior to placebo, were as effective as standard antidepressants, and had fewer side effects than standard antidepressants in patients with depression.
In recent years, more studies on St. John’s wort have been published in the international literature, testing not only its effectiveness compared to placebo, but also comparing its effectiveness and safety with standard antidepressant treatment. Existing evidence indicates that St. John’s wort is a herbal alternative to antidepressants with fewer adverse events in mild to moderate depression.
As for the recommendations of clinical practice, there remain some uncertainty about the appropriate doses, the stability of the effect, potential serious interactions with other drugs and rare side effects. A 2012 review did not recommend the simultaneous use of St. John’s wort with oral contraceptives, anticoagulants, and the combination of St. John’s wort with some antidepressants due to a potentially dangerous increase in serotonin.
