Dosage

St. John's Wort is the herb with the best evidence of efficacy in mild to moderate depression. This herb has been used for literally thousands of years to treat depression and may be a good starting point for patients looking for more natural medications.

Now that you have learned about St. John's Wort, continue to the next section to learn about SAMe.

Almost all St. John's Wort products are standardized to their content of hypericin although some are standardized to hyperforin content. 0.3% hypericin is the content that has been used in most trials. Whole plant products have somewhat higher hypericin content.

  • 900 mg divided in two or three daily doses is generally considered effective dosing.

  • Patients can start with 300 mg per day and increase by 300 mg approximately every three days.

(Frank Mayfield, Hypericum pyramidatum GREAT ST. JOHN'S WORT, flickr. CC: BY-SA 2.0. Obtained on June 21, 2009.)