Hippius H
Department of Psychiatry, University of Munich, Germany.
Curr Med Res Opin. 1998;14(3):171-84. doi: 10.1185/03007999809113357.
A number of clinical studies conducted over the past few years have indicated that whole extract of St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) has antidepressant effects. The herbal antidepressant St John's wort offers promising results in the treatment of patients with mild and moderate depression (response rate of 60-70% estimated by analysis of pooled data). St John's wort preparations are well tolerated. Their use rarely leads to adverse drug reactions which, when they do occur, are mainly subjective symptoms (e.g. gastrointestinal, dizziness). The generally good tolerability of St John's wort preparations and the resulting high patient compliance in taking the prescribed medication, in conjunction with their efficacy in mild and moderate depression, make these preparations particularly suitable for use in outpatient practice. Tolerability is also very good in elderly patients. If a sufficiently high-dose course of treatment with St John's wort preparations (900 mg daily) does not lead to a clear improvement in depression after four to six weeks, therapy should be continued with an established ('classical') antidepressant.
过去几年进行的多项临床研究表明，圣约翰草（贯叶连翘）的全草提取物具有抗抑郁作用。草药抗抑郁药圣约翰草在治疗轻度和中度抑郁症患者方面显示出有前景的结果（通过汇总数据分析估计有效率为60 - 70%）。圣约翰草制剂耐受性良好。使用它们很少导致药物不良反应，不良反应发生时主要为主观症状（如胃肠道症状、头晕）。圣约翰草制剂总体良好的耐受性以及由此带来的患者对遵医嘱服药的高依从性，再加上其对轻度和中度抑郁症的疗效，使得这些制剂特别适合在门诊实践中使用。老年患者的耐受性也非常好。如果使用圣约翰草制剂进行足够高剂量疗程的治疗（每日900毫克），在四到六周后抑郁症没有明显改善，则应继续使用已确立的（“经典”）抗抑郁药进行治疗。
