OBJECTIVE To analyze the effects of certain herbs on sperm DNA and on the fertilization process. DESIGN Prospective comparative study. SETTING Clinical and academic research environment. PATIENT(S) Donor sperm specimens. INTERVENTION(S) Zona-free hamster oocytes were incubated for 1 hour in saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), echinacea purpura, ginkgo biloba, St. John's wort (Hypericum perfo...

The work aimed to determine the levels of hypericins expressed as hypericin in the herbal substance of St. John's wort, in capsules and tablets containing the extract of St. John's wort, tablets containing powdered herb and in tincture and juice from fresh St. John's wort, by HPLC method with spectrophotometric detection. In addition, the amount of hypericins in the infusion prepared from St. J...

AIMS We previously reported the effect of St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) standardised extract LI 160 on the activities of cytochrome P450 2C6, 2D2 and 3As (Dostalek et al., Life Sciences 2005;78(3):239-44). In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of St John's wort on the activity of cytochrome P450 1A2. METHODS The isolated perfused rat liver model was used in our experiments with...

QUESTION A 23-year-old patient of mine has been taking St John's wort for postpartum depression for about 2 years. She is now planning her second pregnancy. Is she or her fetus at risk if she continues to take the herbal therapy? ANSWER Despite the widespread availability and use of St John's wort and extensive research on the herb, there are almost no data on reproductive safety. At this sta...

varieties of st. john’s wort (hypericum perforatum l.) native to iran possess the largest percentage of hypercin in their leaves and flowers. isotherm curves show the relationship between the relative humidity and moisture content of the plant at a constant temperature. it is essential to understand the isotherms curves for successful storage and drying of the plant. this study used adsorption ...

The purpose of this paper is to review preclinical and clinical evidence relating to drug interactions with preparations of the medicinal herb St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum). A systematic literature search was carried out in three electronic databases up to June 2004. Information about case reports classified as St John's wort drug interactions was retrieved from the WHO Collaborating Ce...

CONTEXT St John's wort is a popular herbal product used to treat depression but it has been implicated in drug interactions. OBJECTIVE To assess the potential of St John's wort administration to alter the activity of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes extensively involved in drug metabolism. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Open-label crossover study with fixed treatment order conducted Mar...

St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) has been used as a medicinal plant in Europe and Asia for centuries. Although it is best known today for its use by patients with mild to moderately severe depression, St. John’s wort has also been used orally as a traditional treatment for excitability, neuralgia, fibrositis, sciatica, and anxiety and as a topical preparation for the treatment of wound...

HYPOTHESIS St John's wort is one of the most popular herbal medicines, and health care professionals often are unaware that their patients take such supplements. St John's wort causes a decrease in cyclosporine levels, thus endangering the success of organ transplantations. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS Five independent computerized literature searches were conducted to identify all rep...