Evidence based naturopathic practice literature review : Hypericum perforatum

St John’s wort has a history of use as a herbal remedy for a variety of ailments and has become a mainstream alternative treatment for depression due to its association with low adverse effects compared with prescription antidepressants. Current research on Hypericum perforatum, or St John’s wort (SJW) has found several promising results in therapies for cancer, inflammation, bacterial and viral infections, as well as other disorders (Huang 2012, Klemow 2011, Saddiqe 2010). A study conducted by Husain et al (2011) with type 2 diabetic rats strongly suggested that standardised Hypericum perforatum extract could be a suitable alternative therapeutic option for prevention, as well as treatment, of co-morbidities caused by or associated with depression, anxiety and diabetes. This literature review aims to critique the scientific literature by Rapaport et al (2011) entitled The treatment of minor depression with St. John’s Wort or citalopram: failure to show benefit over placebo. This scientific literature was chosen for being the most recent and thorough publication that matches the clinical question. The clinical question was to compare the effects of Hypericum perforatum with conventional antidepressants in treating patients with depression