Herbal versus Description Drugs
Herbal despair medicine is considered by some as a reliable substitute of pharmaceutical treatment for depression in case of despair. Still viable proof is needed to certify the utility of herbal despair medicine. In order to test how effective are these types of anti depressants certain cases need to be analyzed. The general problem concerning herbal despair medicine is the fact that there is few relevant data to research. The medical world does not show much interest in testing if herbal despair medicines are effective or not. So, are herbal anti depressants reliable or not?
St. John’s wort
The most known and studied anti depressive herbal is St. John’s wart, also known by its Latin name as hypericum perforatum. It is not only a despair medicine but also an aliment for other types of illnesses used for a long time. This medicine is frequently prescribed by medical doctors in Europe to treat despair in case of mild to moderate types. On the other hand two recent studies conducted in the US show that the extracts obtained from St. John’s wort were as effective as placebo in case of major despair. Still it is important to mention that one of the two studies was conducted by pharmaceutical industry. More studies are ongoing but it generally takes years to see if St. John’s wart is effective or not. It is not quite known how this plant acts but there are some evidences that indicate its reaction on serotonin production or on the activity. Even if there are still some limitations and unanswered questions it is certain that St. John’s wart is the single herbal despair medicine that has clinically tested effect regarding certain despair categories.
Other types of herbal despair medicines
Gingko Biloba as well as Siberian Ginseng are other two well known herbal anti depressants. Each of these two herbal anti depressants have real evidence that demonstrates their potential medical treatment. Anyway there were not made specific studies in order to approve or disapprove their true effects as ailments in case of despair.
There are two major problems with these herbal despair medicines. One of them is the fact that there is little clinical evidence. The second one represents the quality of herbal extracts that can be found on the market as they may be some issues regarding their purity and efficacy. There is another major problem regarding herbal despair treatment. People consider it natural and without side effect. This is extremely wrong and taking herbal anti depressants without priory consulting a doctor the patient puts himself/herself at risk.
Conclusion
As a conclusion it can be said that most herbal despair medicines are frequently used even if there is no proved evidence regarding their effectiveness. An exception from this statement is the case of St. John’s wort. Still people prefer standard prescription drugs to treating despair rather than herbal medicines. It is worth trying herbal despair medicines in case other treatments do not work. Another option is to use St. John’s wort for mild despair. Still it is important to understand that herbal despair medicines come with their own limitations and may be dangerous.