St Johns Wort, Is it any good?

[frazzledmummy]

I am unwilling to take anti-depressants and was wondering if St John's Wort is any good.

It really depends on how low you are feeling.
I took it to help me cope with SAD and it worked for me, but I was only mildly depressed and just needed a little help to get through the rain, cold and grey of winter. You do need to take it for several weeks before there is any noticable effect.
Also be aware it can interfere with the effectiveness of the pill, and may cause hyper sensitivity to sunlight.

Have you talked to your GP? Are you suffering from PND, reactive depression or clinical depression?
There is no 'magic formula' for dealing with a depressive state, either with or without ADs - sometimes it's a case of trial and error. You could try a combination of things; St John's wort, regular exercise, talking to someone (counselling?) increasing your intake of Vit B3, b6, zinc, folic acid and cutting down on your intake of alcohol, sugar, junk foods and caffeine.

HTH, and hope you are not too frazzled for too long

I will say it helped me, I was close to breakdown following a VERY stressful house move, which fell through several times and left us v. short of money and me without a job. It also helped when I had PND.

I found I noticed an effect after about a week, but it does vary, I believe. It probably helps if the reason for the stress is no longer there.

It can be good for mild to moderate depression - it didn't do anything for me at all though. Apparently the tincture (liquid form) is more effective than the tablets, easier absorbed and therefore quicker to take effect.