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Re: ST JOHNS WORT SIDE EFFECTS

Posted by SalArmy4me on June 19, 2001, at 4:31:05

In reply to ST JOHNS WORT SIDE EFFECTS, posted by dana on June 18, 2001, at 19:24:06

PsychoSomatics Volume 61(5)September/October 1999 p 712 "Dietary Supplements and Natural Products as Psychotherapeutic Agents":

Side effects reported for SJW are generally mild. Gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue have been reported (7). The most predictable effect seems to be photosensitization, especially in fair-skinned people. First noted in light-skinned cows that grazed in pastures in which SJW grew, photosensitization has been demonstrated in a controlled clinical trial involving hypericin and exposure to metered doses of UVA and UVB irradiation (13). Using LI 160, a standardized extract from Lichtwer Pharma (Berlin, Germany), these authors found a measurable increase in erythema in light-sensitive volunteers exposed to UVA irradiation after receiving 600 mg of SJW three times daily for 15 days. This effect has also been seen in humans taking high doses of synthetic hypericin (14). Photosensitization is generally mild and transient, disappearing within a few days of drug discontinuation. Although this effect is usually associated with higher than recommended doses of hypericum, it can occur at lower doses and generally appears on the package labeling as a precaution. No other adverse effects were observed in the high-dose studies.

Animal studies indicate low toxicity for SJW. Rats fed SJW as 5% of their diet for 119 days experienced no adverse effects on the liver or any significant tissue lesions (19). Hepatic enzymes were induced, an effect that could theoretically increase metabolism and decrease bioavailability of drugs metabolized by those hepatic enzymes.

In chronic toxicity studies in rats and dogs, only nonspecific symptoms of toxicity were seen, including reduced body weight, slight pathological changes in liver and kidneys (most likely due to increased metabolic load), and some histopathologic changes in the adrenal glands (20). No effects on fertility or reproduction were observed. No mutagenic potential was evident. Long-term ([almost equal to]2 years) carcinogenicity studies were recently completed, but the results have not been reported.


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