Protein in St. John's Wort may suppress HIV-1 gene expression. Research suggests interesting possibilities.

St. John's Wort contains a protein that inhibits HIV-1 replication, according to new research. Investigators who have spent more than a decade studying the mechanism of development of neurological disorders in AIDS patients decided to look at the impact St. John's Wort might have on neuronal cells, says Kamel Khalili, PhD, director of the Center for Neurovirology, professor, and acting chair of the department of neuroscience at Temple University's School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.