Hypericum: An antidepressant traditional Western herb

Abstract

Hypericum's complete botanical name is Hypericum perforatum. Perforatum is Latin for perforated. The flowers are a bright yellow orange. It has served as a sedative, painkiller, and analgesic. The blossoms have been added to sweek oil (a refined olive oil used medicinally) for a soothing dressing for cuts. Herbalists credit it with increasing and inducing a sense of well-being. Hypericum is available in tablets, capsules, drops and teas. It is also available as an oil for external use. The oil cannot be recommended for internal use as an antidepressant. In a study of 3,250 patients taking hypericum, only 2.4 percent experienced any side effects at all. The side effects reported tended to be mild. Gastrointestinal irritations accounted for 0.6 percent, allergic reactions for 0.5 percent, tiredness for 0.4 percent, and restlessness for 0.3 percent. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb upto 3 ft.high, distributed in the western Himalayas at altitudes of 3000-10500 ft.