NOW Foods Supplements, St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) 300 mg, Standardized Extract, 250 Veg Capsules

This herb worked like magic for me within days. I had increased motivation and energy to get things done, was able to stay focused, and my mood improved as if I was on an antidepressant. I thought I'd never go off it because it helped so much! But within a few weeks, I developed some side effects that have ultimately made me have to go off of it. I developed incredible stinging in my hands.... It is hard to describe as I have never felt or experienced anything like it. It is the worst whenever I handle anything cold... chicken breast for dinner, cold running water, chilly air (like, not even cold-cold.... like in the 55- degree range). Even walking around the cold aisles of the grocery store, my hands start to sting and ache from the inside out, incredibly strange ... again, can't describe it well. And while my hands are by far the worst, the skin on my face, neck, arms, and feet are also extremely sensitive to any pinch, scratch or temperature change. A small scratch by my own nail feels like a deep paper cut and hangs on like someone poured lemon juice in it. Crazy, crazy stuff.I wanted it to be ANYTHING other than the St. John's Wort because the herb worked like a dream. I looked up every side effect I could find on the internet, but I had to dig deeeep to find only a few medical reports about this issue - which it turns out is a nerve issue caused by SJW. SJW can help nerve pain apparently, but no body talks about causing nerve pain! The craziest thing is not being able to find reviews or info about this. HOWEVER, I know it's not just me because my best friend (who tried SJW because I raved about it) had the exact same side effects. One day she mentioned what she was dealing with to me, and we were blown away that neither of us could find any information on the internet. I am in mourning that I have to stop. I'm going to try another brand to see if that helps at all??? I hope so because I feel like this was a life-saver for me.PS: I have been off of it for a week and while it seems to be improving slightly, it hasn't gone away completely. I'm concerned that longterm use could cause permanent damage.

Since I was young I have suffered from bouts of depression, and it is always worse in the grey of winter. 6 months ago I read a book about St John's Wort being good to uplift the mood, so bought these hoping they might help. Yes, yes they did! I stopped waking up feeling dread and depression. It worked so well, I brought them into work for a coworker who had similar problems. Now we both are in good moods at work. And I dont even take them every day now. Just once or twice a month. This company is reputable, and the tablets work. Just dont take them and then go sunbathing, as they can, at higher doses make your skin sensitive to sun burn.

It is amazing and I notice a difference without it. Life saver !

NOW is a pretty decent brand that offers good value and quality. These capsules are standardized.When buying herbs, avoid "whole" varieties; always get standardized."Whole" herbs are just that- ground up stems, leaves and whatever else gets dropped into the grinder. The therapeutic ingredient of a given herb is often only found in one part of the plant. Therefore, if you are not purchasing standardized herbs, you are getting diluted ingredients. Standardized, on the other hand, ensures a specific therapeutic ingredient at a guaranteed percentage and purity, as well as chemical consistency across batches.With this product, I find 300mg 3x per day to be quite effective.

SJW works for some people and not for others. Talk to your doctor to decide if it's for you and establish dosage.Be very careful as SJW can interact with prescription and OTC meds (particularly hormone treatments like birth control!) I always make sure I mention that I'm on SJW and the dose whenever a health-care professional asks about what medicines I'm taking. (Always be careful with herbal supplements. Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's safe or won't cause interactions... herbs are medicines, too.)That said, I wish someone had introduced me to it much earlier in life. It has been a huge help in taking the edge off my depression. And I know that it's working because every time I miss a couple of days, I notice a drop in my mood and an increase in my depression symptoms. It's taught me a lot about my condition.NOW brand has worked for me. I can tell it is fairly consistent and fresh. If capsules get left out of the airtight bottle for more than a week, the herb dries out and gets dark and compacted, rattling around in the gelcap instead of filling it. I've used NOW for years.

I feel like it really does help with blocking anxiety, but at the expense of losing some ambition. I felt both less anxiety and motivation to do things or get things done. The bottle instructs you to take it 3 times a day (I am sure a lot of people miss that and only take it once a day). I think it depends on the person though. For me, once a day is probably enough.