Safety · Supplement
St. John's Wort: side effects, safety & interactions
The efficacy is real; the danger is interactions. Photosensitivity can occur. Never combine with SSRIs/SNRIs, and treat
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 0
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
Assembled by the app from other entries in this library. It adds no evidence of its own — follow the links to the entries it draws on.
The evidence in words
Safety profile
The efficacy is real; the danger is interactions. Photosensitivity can occur. Never combine with SSRIs/SNRIs, and treat it as capable of neutralizing many prescriptions.
Interactions to respect
SSRIs / SNRIs — Serotonin-syndrome risk — never combine. · Anticoagulants (warfarin) — Induces metabolism — reduces anticoagulant effect. · Oral contraceptives — Lowers contraceptive levels — real failure risk.
What St. John's Wort is
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a flowering herb with real antidepressant activity, standardized to hypericin and hyperforin. It is also the classic teaching example of a botanical that interferes with prescription drugs.
The honest bottom line
Effective for mild-to-moderate depression, and the supplement most likely to sabotage your other medications. Only under professional guidance with a full drug review — never alongside antidepressants or the pill.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Saffron: side effects, safety & interactionsWell tolerated at supplemental doses; culinary-scale amounts are safe, but very high doses are toxic. As a serotonergic Evidence grade B
- St. John's WortGenuinely works for mild-to-moderate depression — and is the single most dangerous supplement for drug interactions.Evidence grade B
- St. John's Wort for Depression (mild-moderate)Evidence grade B — Under guidance onlyEvidence grade B
- St. John's Wort for Mild-to-moderate depressionEvidence grade B — Cochrane: ~ as effective as SSRIsEvidence grade B
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own — it is assembled from the entries it links to, whose sources are on their pages.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.