Dr. Tieraona Low Dog has a broad and rich background in natural medicine and integrative medicine. She knows that St. John's wort is a good choice of antidepressant in many instances for an individual struggling with depression. She would prefer to use St. John's wort for mild forms of depression. She would also choose it for young people who might otherwise be at risk of suicide and therefore should not be given a prescription drug.
(Transcribed from video interview)
Dr. Low Dog:
I think St. John’s wort is an effective antidepressant for people with mild forms of depression and people who are not on medications, lots of medications, because it interacts with up to 50% of prescription drugs.
However, for a mildly depressed adolescent, somebody in their 20s or you know, who doesn’t have moderate, severe depression, who you may be a little reluctant to put up on prescription drug, I would say St. John’s wort is very appropriate.
Interestingly, in Germany, St. John’s wort is much more readily prescribed for children and adolescence than any prescription drug and that’s because of our concerns of increased risk of suicide etc. in this population. So I like St. John’s wort. I don’t find it particularly effective for people with more severe forms of depression. It’s really much more for mild, a milder form.
About Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, M.D.:
Dr. Tieraona Low Dog’s extensive career in studying natural medicine began more than twenty-five years ago. She studied midwifery, massage therapy, and was a highly respected herbalist, serving as President of the American Herbalist Guild and running a teaching clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico before receive her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She currently serves as the Director of the Fellowship at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
Visit Dr. Low Dog at http://www.drlowdog.com
Video:
https://www.empowher.com/depression/content/st-johns-wort-effective-treating-depression-dr-low-dog-video