Published Monday April 23, 2001

Snake Oil for the Mind

If St. John's wort is useless, what does that say about other herbal "remedies" being gulped down by millions of Americans?

St. John's wort, a small, flowering weed, has been touted hither and yon as a treatment for depression. Word of mouth, news reports and subtly suggestive advertising have pushed the botanical as a "natural" cure, as opposed to pharmaceuticals such as Prozac and Zoloft. Indeed, the Nutrition Business Journal reported that 1.5 million people use the herb regularly, while 5 million others have tried it in the past five years.

Now a study led by Richard Shelton of Vanderbilt University has indicated that St. John's wort is no better than a sugar pill in treating moderate to severe depression. That finding is disturbing because, according to a study in the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, 54 percent of people with severe depression tried alternative medicines for their illness in a one-year period. Many of them would have reached for the St. John's wort.

Depression is a major, life-affecting illness. It can rob the sufferer of energy, ambition and joy in life. It is debilitating. People with severe untreated depression are at risk of suicide. Modern prescription anti-depressants, however, either alone or combined with psychotherapy, have an excellent cure or control rate. But one of the big risks with St. John's wort is that users won't seek medical advice.

The Shelton study didn't weigh the herb's effect on mild depression. Some European studies, in fact, have indicated benefits. Shelton criticized those studies' methodology, size or accuracy, but he also acknowledged that his report was not the final word on the subject. He suggested that a new National Institutes of Health study, which compares St. John's wort to anti-depressant medications, should prove definitive when it is released in the next few months.

The Shelton study was funded by Pfizer Inc., which makes both Zoloft and St. John's wort extract. Americans spent $195 million on St. John's wort in 2000, down from a high of $310 million in 1998.

So many people have jumped for St. John's wort, assuming that because they had heard so much about it, it must work. But the claims were false and the benefits illusory, more a product of the mind than a product for the mind. Still, how many people will keep on taking it and the other snake oil and bittergrass hawked by "natural medicine" carny barkers these days?

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Answers

Sorry, but this so called "study" has all the ring of a professional debunk being paid for by the drug industry. We know they don't like homeopathic treatments, which threaten their profits and also the profits of the professional health care industry, including all the many areas of psych counselling.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

My own doctor, from Duke Unviersity Medical School yet, recommends evening primrose oil to help lower my blood sugar! Also chromium, same reason. I'm taking quite a few herbal, vitamin and mineral supplements--and I'm about to add prickly pear if I can find it for a reasonable price down at the health food place.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

St. John's wort helped with my mood swings when I was under some heavy stress. If it was all snake oil, gimme that snake!

WARNING - if you take St. John's wort, wear sunglasses when outdoors, as something in it reacts with the sun. It can help cause catarcts (sp) if the eyes aren't protected.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001