Health topic

Depression

These are reviewed research connections, not a ranked list of remedies. An ingredient can appear here because evidence was uncertain, preclinical, or limited to a specific preparation and setting.

Ailment-to-evidence view

What the reviewed research points to

This order reflects the depth of the reviewed evidence, not which option works best or what anyone should take. Mixed and negative findings stay in the list because they can be more useful than a promising headline.

Deeper reviewed evidence Mixed or uncertain

St. John's wort

The short-term efficacy signal is meaningful, but long-term evidence is limited, high-risk depression was not established, products vary, and the interaction burden is unusually important.

Studied form
Oral Hypericum perforatum extracts used in short-term depression trials; extract composition and hyperforin content can differ
Outcome
Short-term response, remission, symptom scores, and treatment discontinuation in depression
Evidence
Meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing St. John's wort extracts with SSRIs
See the evidence and cautions →
How this order is calculated

Evidence syntheses come before individual randomized trials, which come before early human and preclinical work. Sample-size bands add a small amount. Positive, mixed, negative, and safety-only directions do not change the depth score. Study independence is not yet scored, so overlapping reviews must not be counted as separate confirmation.

Connected ingredients

What appears in the current evidence map

Source-linked records

1 reviewed record

Evidence synthesis Mixed or uncertain 27 trials with 3,808 participants

St. John's wort for depression: a short-term signal with a major interaction problem

In short trials involving people with mild-to-moderate depression, St. John's wort extracts had response and remission results similar to the SSRIs used as comparators. That does not make the herb a casual self-care option. The trials lasted four to twelve weeks, severe depression and high suicide risk were not established, and St. John's wort can interact with many medicines in clinically important ways.

What was studied
Oral Hypericum perforatum extracts used in short-term depression trials; extract composition and hyperforin content can differ
Setting
Studied alone
Why it ranks here
The short-term efficacy signal is meaningful, but long-term evidence is limited, high-risk depression was not established, products vary, and the interaction burden is unusually important.
Limits and cautions
  • All trials in the review lasted only four to twelve weeks.
  • The review did not establish benefit for severe depression, high suicidality, or suicide risk.
  • Different extracts and hyperforin contents are not assumed equivalent.
  • St. John's wort can alter the effects of many prescription medicines and can also interact with other serotonin-active products.
  • A comparison with selected SSRIs in trials does not establish that the herb is appropriate for a particular person or medication list.

Do not start, stop, or combine St. John's wort with an antidepressant, birth-control medicine, transplant medicine, anticoagulant, seizure medicine, HIV medicine, cancer treatment, or another prescription drug without checking with a qualified clinician or pharmacist.