St John's Wort improves somatoform disorders.

Patients: 184 people aged 18–65 years with somatisation disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, and somatoform autonomic dysfunction (somatic subscore of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA-SOM) .12 and the psychic subscore (HAMA-PSY) of 5 points below HAMA-SOM). For inclusion, participants required a Somatoform Disorders Screening Instrument (SOM) SOMS-2 (number of 53 conditions present in past three years) score of >4 (men) or >6 (women), and a SOMS-7 score (intensity of complaints in previous 7 days) of 12–30. Main exclusion criteria: major depression (Hamilton Depression Scale of .12), substance abuse, other mental disorders including schizophrenia, unstable acute medical conditions, and suicide risk. People showing a decrease in SOMS-7 scores (.6 points) during a one week placebo run-in phase were also excluded from the trial.