Hypericum as a herbal antidepressive drug

Abstract: It is still impossible to assign the antidepressive effects of Hypericum extracts to specific constituents of Hypercium perforatum. The slight inhibition of monoaminooxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase by hypericines is in contradiction with the suggestion that the antidepressive effects of Hypericum depend on inhibition of these enzymes by hypericines. Especially the results of investigations with fractions of Hypericum extracts suggest, that also other compounds are involved in the antidepressive effects of Hypercium total extract. Possibly the reduction of the number of serotonin-receptors could be regarded as the antidepressive principle of Hypericum. Clinical studies have proven the antidepressive efficacy of the Hypericum extract LI 160 (JarsinTM). Studies comparing the effects of Hypericum extract with those of maprotilin show similar depression-relieving and mood-lifting effects of both drugs, whereas maprotilin exhibited more pronounced sedative effects. The activity of JarsinTM is similar to that of imipramin exhibiting a slight activating and very slight sedative action. JarsinTM is characterized by a very low rate of side effects. In a drug-monitoring study with 3250 patients the rate of side effects was determined to be 2.5 %. Until now 28 controlled studies with Hypericum extracts in 1,500 depressive patients have been carried out. The majority of the patients were treated with daily doses of 900 mg Hypericum extract for 28 to 42 days.

Keyword(s): Hypericum perforatum

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