History of Traditional Use of St. Johnswort
This plant is native to Europe but has been naturalized in most of the northern hemisphere. The name refers to the fact that it flowers around the feast of Saint John on June 24th which is also close to the summer solstice. A plant that is common to waste areas, roadsides, and fields it has a rich and colorful tradition of usage dating back to ancient Greece. Gaius Plinius Secundas (Pliny the Elder) wrote about this plant in his 37 volume Natural History which served as the basis of scientific knowledge for centuries. In Greek it is called hypericon (above the icon) referring to its power “over the image” and this idea was furthered through the years. The European peasants thought the plant protected them from evil spirits, witches, demons and lightning. The plant was used topically to support nerves damaged by trauma, and promote recovery from trauma to the skin like burns, wounds and bruises. It was also used internally in homeopathic preparations for nerve trauma. Modern demons like depression have been the focus of many pharmacological studies on this plant.
Structure Function Claims
Promotes a Healthy State of Emotional Well Being.
Promotes the Body’s Nerve Response During Injury and Trauma.
Promotes Adaptation to Stress.
Encourages Healthy Mental Attitudes.
Mechanism of Therapeutic Action
There have been hundreds of randomized controlled studies on St. Johnswort Extract many using the total Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Zerssen Depression scale (DS) while comparing the herbal extract to anti-depressant drugs. One double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial conducted in France on 375 patients boasted a 50% reduction in the total Hamilton score. The most effective applications have involved mild to moderate depression as well as seasonal affective disorder cases. The flavonoids hypericin and hyperforin have been the most lauded chemicals contained in St. Johnswort that may be responsible for its pharmacological activity yet with all the research it is still unclear which chemicals if any are “responsible” for its activity. The flowers contain many antioxidants such as Rutin, Quercitin, and Lutein. One of the best reviews published in Phytomedicine in 2002 compiled results from 34 controlled, double blinded studies on over 3000 patients and found positive results when using between 300 and 1000 mg of extract per day. More research is needed to determine the exact mechanism of therapeutic action in this plant.
Lecrubier Y, Clerc G, et al. AM Journ. Psychiatry. 2002 Aug;159(8):1361-6.
Behnke K., Jensen GS., Graubaum HJ., Gruenwald J., Advances in Therapy. 2002 Jan-Feb;19 (1):43-52
Barnes J., Anderson LA, Phillipson JD. J Pharm. Pharmacol. 2001 May;53(5):583-600
Schulz V., Phtomedicine. 2002 July;9(5):48-74.
Specific Differentiation of Gaia Herbs Product
Gaia Herbs St. Johnswort Liquid Phyto-Caps are a concentrate of fresh St. Johnswort flower buds using Gaia Herbs Wholeplant Standardization process which delivers 2.7 mg of hypericins and 540 mg of extract per dose. This is equivalent to 3.6 grams of crude powdered herb or close to 4 capsules. The difference is that Gaia Herbs patented delivery system offers the absorption and rapid response of a liquid with the convenience of a vegetarian capsule. Most of the positive research has been conducted on the extract of St. Johnswort. Gaia also offers a WholePlant standardized liquid extract delivering .25 mg of hypericin per 30 drops. Since Hypericin is known to degrade if not stabilized, Gaia Herbs Liquid Extract and Liquid Phyto-Caps are tested for Shelf Stability (as are all Gaia Herbs products), so that the dosage can be trusted until the "Best By" date provided on each label. Gaia Herbs captures the essence of Natures Vitality.
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