St. John's wort: use

St. John's wort - this herb, flowers and rain which is used as a medicine. It began to be used even in ancient Greece - Hippocrates mentioned the use of the flowers of this plant. It grows in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia and elsewhere is used in folk medicine.

To date, the sale of drugs with St. John's wort is forbidden in France - is due to the fact that St. John's wort interacts with many medicines and can be dangerous if taken inadvertently. In some other countries are now actively discussing the possibility of placing the relevant warnings on the packaging of preparations containing St. John's wort.

Often it is used in the treatment of mild to moderate depression Depression - a little more than a bad mood . It is proved that the active ingredients of hypericum help to improve mood and reduce anxiety and help with insomnia. Some experts even suggested using it as an antidepressant for short-term treatment of depression, however, because it was not proven that it is more effective or tolerated by the human body better than conventional antidepressants, it is still used only as an aid. St. John's wort is not effective for severe depression and should not be taken with medications used in the treatment of such disorders.

St. John's wort may be effective in:

• Menopausal symptoms. Some studies have shown that St. John's wort in combination with black cohosh may improve the symptoms of menopause, such as mood swings, anxiety Anxiety - how to distinguish normal from disease?   and sleep disorders Dreams: how to understand our dreams .
• Somatization (manifestations of mental experience and strong emotions in physical symptoms). In the treatment of St. John's wort Treatment hunter - has been known since ancient times   relief may occur within 6 weeks.
• Wound healing. Ointments with St. John's wort could accelerate healing; moreover, it is believed that due to her scars become smaller
• Contrary to popular belief, St. John's wort are likely not effective for irritable bowel syndrome, hepatitis and polyneuropathy.

There is sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of St. John's wort in the treatment of the following conditions:

• Obsessive compulsive disorder. Data on the effectiveness of St. John's wort at the same violation is very contradictory.
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Research in this area is still under way; probably St. John's Wort helps relieve symptoms such as increased anxiety, decreased libido and sleep disturbances caused by the CAP
• Stomach upset
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Skin diseases
• Migraines
• Sciatica
• Neuralgia
• Excitability
• Fibromyalgia
• Muscle aches
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Excess weight

St. John's wort during pregnancy

Herbs have long been used in folk medicine, but it does not mean that you can drink them all in a row without the slightest fear. St. John's wort, for example, is a very effective remedy for many disorders and often the women, accept it successfully before pregnancy, are interested in whether you can continue to use it, expecting a baby.

What is known about St. John's wort

St. John's - one of the most popular medicinal herbs, which is often used to treat depression. It is a fairly safe alternative to antidepressants. He has many other useful properties due to the high content of substances such as hypericin, hyperforin, flavonoids, tannins, and so on. To date, the impact of St. John's wort on pregnant women studied is very bad - primarily due to the fact that relevant research is unsafe. Nevertheless, it is known that St. John's wort contained substances can cause uterine contractions and lead to miscarriage Miscarriage - can you protect yourself from it?   or cause serious damage to the health of the child. In particular, these substances are potentially hazardous to the brain and throughout the central nervous system of the child; they can also disrupt his liver. For these reasons, pregnant women receiving St. John's wort is contraindicated in any form.

Those who take St. John's wort to treat depression Depression - a little more than a bad mood You should talk to your doctor at the planning stage of pregnancy. He may recommend a more secure means by which you can control the symptoms of depression during childbearing. In most cases, stop taking St. John's wort should be about a month before the planned pregnancy. If the pregnancy while taking St. John's wort, you need as soon as possible to see a doctor.

Research

At this point we can not say for sure, St. John's wort is safe for pregnant or not. The data on this subject, available now, were obtained in laboratory studies, animal studies, and based on observation of individual patients taking St. John's wort during pregnancy.

According to the results of some laboratory tests, high concentrations of St. John's wort mammalian embryo cells receive significant genetic damage. Other studies showed a reduction of sperm motility, the deterioration of their ability to penetrate the egg, and, at very high concentrations of St. John's wort, DNA denaturation.

Mice that were given St. John's wort, appeared young, weighing much less than normal, but without any deviations neurobehavioral development and the ability to reproduce. Another study found that female rats that were given St. John's wort, it takes longer to get through the maze of new - however, the value of these results is questionable.

On two occasions, when it was possible to observe women taking self-medication for St. John's wort during pregnancy, maternal and child health is not affected.

However, based on laboratory data and the fact that information about the effects of Hypericum per person is not sufficient for valid conclusions, taking it during pregnancy is not recommended. If a pregnant woman is taking any medications, St. John's wort is contraindicated, because it interacts with many drugs, significantly changing their effect.