Therapeutic Uses:
- Burns and Skin Disorders – St. John’s wort is more effective for wound healing than calendula. An ointment prepared by mixing fresh St. John’s wort flowers with olive oil greatly accelerates the healing of burns. St. John’s wort lotions prevent skin infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Hypericin is a flavonoid compound of St. John’s wort that is thought to be responsible for the bioactive activities of the herb. Hypericin-containing extracts may prove useful for the treatment of psoriasis, warts, and certain forms of skin cancer.
- Cancer – St. John’s wort increases sensitivity to light. Photodynamic therapy is a treatment based on the ability of cancer cells to selectively take up a specific compound that makes them more sensitive to specific wavelengths of light, so that irradiation kills only the cancer cells. Hypericin has been shown to accumulate specifically in tumor tissue. Results suggest that hypericin can be used as a photodynamic therapy in the treatment of cancer. The use of extracts containing hypericin may prove beneficial for certain types of skin cancer, such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, melanoma, and
Medicinal Uses: * Anxiety * Aromatherapy * Arthritis * Bed Wetting/incontinence* Burns * Congestion * Depression * Ear * Fibromyalgia * Flu * Herpes/Cold Sores * Lupus * Nerve/Back Pain * PMS * Rheumatoid arthritis * Skin Care
St. John’s Wort Side Effects: St. Johns can alter the physiologic impact of MAOIs and SSRIs.
St. John’s Wort Drug Interactions: *Alprazolam (Xanax) *Aminolevulinic Acid *Amitriptyline (Elavil) *Amprenavir (Agenerase) *Birth Control Pills (Contraceptive Drugs) *Celecoxib (Celebrex) *Cimetidine *Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) *Cisapride (Propulsid) *Clomipramine (Anafranil) *Clopidogrel (Plavix) *Clozapine (Clozaril) *Corticosteroids *Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) *Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) *Cyclosporine *Delavirdine (Rescriptor) *Dextromethorphan (Robitussin Dm, And Others) *Diazepam (Valium) *Diclofenac (Voltaren) *Digoxin (Lanoxin) *Diltiazem *Efavirenz (Sustiva) *Erythromycin *Etoposide *Fenfluramine (Pondimin) *Fexofenadine (Allegra) *Fluoxetine (Prozac) *Fluvastatin (Lescol) *Fluvoxamine (Luvox) *Frovatriptan (Frova) *Gatifloxacin (Tequin) *Glipizide (Glucotrol) *Haloperidol (Haldol) *Hydrocodone *Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) *Imatinib (Gleevec) *Imipramine (Tofranil) *Indinavir *Irbesartan (Avapro) *Irinotecan (Camptosar) *Itraconazole (Sporanox) *Itraconazole *Ketoconazole (Nizoral) *Levofloxacin (Levaquin) *Lomefloxacin (Maxaquin) *Loperamide (Imodium) *Losartan (Cozaar) *Lovastatin (Mevacor) *Medications for Depression (Maois) *Medications for Migraine Headaches (“Triptans”) *Meperidine (Demerol) *Methoxsalen (8-Methoxypsoralen, 8-Mop, Oxsoralen) *Methylphenidate (Concerta, Daytrana, Metadate, Ritalin) *Mexiletine (Mexitil) *Morphine *Moxifloxacin (Avelox) *Naratriptan (Amerge) *Nefazodone (Serzone) *Nelfinavir (Viracept) *Nevirapine (Viramune) *Norfloxacin (Noroxin) *Nortriptyline (Pamelor) *Ofloxacin (Floxin) *Olanzapine (Zyprexa) *Oxycontin *Paclitaxel *Paroxetine (Paxil) *Pentazocine (Talwin) *Phenelzine (Nardil) *Phenobarbital (Luminal) *Phenprocoumon *Phenytoin (Dilantin) *Piroxicam (Feldene) *Procainamide *Propranolol (Inderal) *Quinidine *Ranitidine *Reserpine *Ritonavir (Norvir) *Rizatriptan (Maxalt) *Saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase) *Sedative Medications (Barbiturates) *Sertraline (Zoloft) *Simvastatin (Zocor) *Sparfloxacin (Zagam) *Sumatriptan (Imitrex) *Tacrine (Cognex) *Tacrolimus (Prograf, Protopic) *Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) *Tetracycline *Theophylline *Tolbutamide (Tolinase) *Torsemide (Demadex) *Tramadol (Ultram) *Tranylcypromine (Parnate) *Triazolam (Halcion) *Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (Septra) *Trioxsalen (Trisoralen) *Verapamil *Vinblastine *Vincristine *Vindesine *Warfarin (Coumadin) *Zileuton (Zyflo) *Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
