St. John's Wort Effects, Dosage, and Side Effects Amber Touch-and-Heal; Hardhay; Hypericum; Hypericum perforatum; Klamath Weed; Klamathweed; Millepertuis; Rosin Rose; SJW; Tipton Weed

... Used sporadically since ancient times to treat a number of various conditions, St. John''s wort has become popular again as an antidepressant. It contains several chemicals, including hypericin, hyperforin, and pseudohypericin, which are thought to be the major sources of antidepressant activity. In several studies of laboratory animals and humans, one or more of the chemicals in St. John''s wort appeared to delay or decrease re-absorption of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin by nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages from nerve cells to other cells. Ordinarily, once the message has been delivered, neurotransmitters are re-absorbed and inactivated by the cells that released them. Chemicals in St. John''s wort may keep more of these antidepressant neurotransmitters available for the body to utilize. Multiple studies have shown that St. John''s wort may be effective in relieving mild to moderate depression, although maximum antidepressant effects may take several weeks to develop. ...

?St. John's Wort Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae ...