St John’s Wort promotes positive emotional health by inhibiting monoamine oxidase and the reuptake of specific neurotransmitters.

Benefits at a Glance:

• Promotes mental well-being
• Provides stress support
• Liquid Phyto-Caps® are a convenient way to consume liquid herbal extracts

St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herb that is used to support a healthy mood. Hypericin and hyperforin appear to be the main active compounds in St John’s wort flowers.

St John’s wort has the property of weakly inhibiting monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activity.^1,2 Monoamine oxidase adversely affects monoamine neurotransmitters including dopamine in the brain, leading to poor mood. St John’s Wort has also been shown to inhibit reuptake of several neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, GABA and glutamate.³ This contributes to alleviating low mood by slowing the recycling of neurotransmitters needed for maintaining emotional balance.

A systematic review of 29 randomized, double-blinded trials which compared the effects of St John’s wort to a placebo or standard antidepressant treatment among a total of 5,489 individuals with major depressive symptoms concluded that St John performed better than a placebo and was equally effective as other drug treatments and was associated with fewer side effects.⁴

Other benefits associated with St John’s wort include antiviral and antibacterial effects, support of healthy blood pressure, pain relief, antioxidant effects, an antispasmodic effect, and potential treatment of hematologic malignancies.^5,6 A randomized trial that included 36 participants with premenstrual syndrome resulted in improvement in physical and behavioral symptoms among women who received St John’s wort in comparison with a placebo.⁷

People who use St John’s wort should check with their physicians concerning the possibility of any interactions with medications they are taking.