OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of hypericum extract (STEI 300, Steiner Arzneimittel, Berlin) compared with imipramine and placebo in patients in primary care with a current episode of moderate depression. DESIGN Randomised, double blind, multicentre, parallel group trial for 8 weeks. SETTING Trained panel of 18 general practitioners from four German states: Bavaria, Berlin, Rh...

0

This special issue on the genus Hypericum (family Hypericaceae) consists of 12 articles focusing on recent advancements related to biosynthetic pathways, biotechnology, molecular biology, genomics, pharmacology, and related disciplines. Hypericum is well-known for its medicinal properties. There are about 487 Hypericum spp., which are distributed across every continent except Antarctica. Althou...

BACKGROUND Recent investigations suggest an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect of hyperforin, which is a major constituent of Hypericum perforatum L. (Saint John's wort). OBJECTIVE In the present half-side comparison study we assessed the efficacy of a cream containing Hypericum: extract standardised to 1.5% hyperforin (verum) in comparison to the corresponding vehicle (placebo) for t...

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used as a medical herb for over 2000 years. Over the past two decades, its application as a standardized plant extract for treating depression has undergone rigorous scientific investigation, and its effectiveness has been shown in studies comparing it with other commonly used antidepressants and placebos. Safety and tolerability studies have reve...

Objectives. There are approximately 400 Hypericum species that grow naturally in different geographic origins of the world. Those species have been used in different folk medicines and screened for their biological activity including cancer. Our country is an important place for Hypericum species which are known as “kantaron, binbirdelik otu, kan otu, kılıç otu, yaraotu, kuzukıran”. We therefor...

This article aims to summarize the current state of knowledge on St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) which is one of the oldest and best investigated medicinal herbs. Dried alcoholic extracts are the most important preparations on the market although a variety of other preparations are available. Depressive disorders according to modern diagnostic standards are the best known and most wid...

A plethora of plants belonging to the genus Hypericum have been investigated so far owing to the biological efficacies of pharmacologically important secondary metabolites produced by several Hypericum species. However, there is currently a dearth of information about the localization (accumulation) of these compounds in the plants in situ. In particular, the biosynthetic and ecological consequ...