Depressed? This wort is worth trying

St John's wort is as effective an antidepressant as prescription drugs, research suggests.

The herbal remedy could be the best way to treat even the most severe forms of the illness, scientists claim.

A study compared the effectiveness of a specially manufactured extract from the herb with the drug paroxetine - also known as Seroxat - in treating patients with moderate or severe depression.

Half the patients treated with St John's wort felt less depressed after six weeks, but only a third of sufferers on paroxetine improved over the same period.

The study of 244 people with moderateto-severe depression also suggested St John's wort was less likely to cause side effects such as stomach aches.

The research follows debate over whether drugs such as paroxetine, which belongs to a group of substances called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, trigger suicidal tendencies in teenagers.

Researchers have already claimed that St John's wort is an effective way to treat mild depression. "It is at least as effective as paroxetine and better tolerated," the University of Berlin team concluded.

_{(Source Daily Mail February 11 2005)}