St. Johns Wort

[bitteorca]

Hi

 

can't be bothered talking about the break-up any more to be honest. All I know is that I want to re-gain control of my mind. It consumes me.

 

Has any one taken St. Johns Wort? Does it work? Will it help with the hurt?

 

Thanks

[iamawesome]

Good exercise is probably more effective since it burns cortisol (stress) and releases very powerful pain killers (endorphins). Your body can naturally regulate these chemicals at the proper dosage levels which is difficult to do when you rely on external chemicals.

 

 

Edit: Here is a good link for all the effects of SJW. http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/44/4/271 . Also read this http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/paranormal/bldef_stjohnswort.htm and http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090428143259AAOclWs .

 

After reading several other articles a am of the opinion that you should not mess with SJW. Exercise and normal healthy diet seem to be safer and far more effective. You won't have to deal with side effects or coming off the drug either.

 

Consult a doctor before doing anything with these drugs.

Edited November 27, 2010 by iamawesome

[reknown29]

5-HTP works for me. Picks up the mood just enough to cope.

[iamawesome]

5-HTP resembles the effects of exercise, but again not as effective and comes with side effects. See: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-794-5-HTP.aspx?activeIngredientId=794&activeIngredientName=5-HTP .

 

Really, I know exercise sounds corny, but it is probably more effective, safer, and probably more immediate.

 

Consider this man's opinion:

 

Despite the health warnings and side effects that are associated with antidepressant medications, they continue to be prescribed. But David C. Nielman PhD, author of "The Exercise-Health Connection," explains that the benefits of exercise far exceed that of any medication or supplement. In fact, since the results of exercise can last for days, it just may be a more natural and safer way to raise serotonin levels and relieve depression.

 

Read more: The Effects of Exercise on Serotonin Levels | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5066420_effects-exercise-serotonin-levels.html#ixzz16WI3iKNu"

[Feelin Frisky]

I personally advise against using this "herbal supplement" for a number of reasons. One is that there are real medications that have been developed to augment or diminish--whichever the need may be--the chemical substances in your brain whose imbalances are at the root of depression, anxiety.

 

Why defer to some medieval herb whose function is far less understood and documented than modern "engineered medicine"?

 

Why defer to some "herb" of imprecise properties which there are so few doctors educated in to help you know whether you're not taking enough, taking too much, or are taking something so unspecific for what's wrong with you that you may be unnecessarily effecting other bodily systems like the central nervous system, the liver enzyme system, possible blood thinners or clotting agents etc for no good reason except that the agent you need for your particular malady is just one among this soup of other things this "herb" effects?

 

 

Why turn to an herb which is unregulated which may not even have what the bottle says it has in it?

 

Why take an herb which may do so little that it's manufacturers and/or packagers may add other "proprietary herb blends" to it to add some "calming" or "stimulating" agent to it like caffeine or kava to it to make what may not work at all seem like it is doing something?

 

What's the hang up? People in denial take these preparations because they feel that taking real medication is an admission of mental illness. It's not. And taking real medication is not an admission weakness, it is a sign of the strength someone shows when they accept responsibility to work at improving their psychological and emotional states. People who are ass-backward with hangups about "pharmaceutical industry conspiracies" opt for these "remedies" thinking they are avoiding being "controlled" by an evil empire while turning instead to a wiccan potion (just don't tell them it's a wiccan potion--Oh, it's called "St. John's Wort so, it has Saint in the title, it can't be witchcraft).

 

It is money? If a person has health care, it might be a $10 co-pay to see a doctor and it's $4 at Target to fill a proscription of Prozac for a month.

 

A jar of St. John's Wort might cost $29 for 90 capsules. But do worse than nothing for that investment. All things considered, it's a crap shoot to act as your own doctor and pick an herb you have no idea how it works or how much real substance is in it and depend on it to help you fix your psych/social malady. No charge for the medical advice. See a real doctor.