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...

BACKGROUND There is a lack of basic knowledge on the part of both clinicians and patients as to the indications for use and safety of herbal medicines in pregnancy and lactation. This is one article in a series that systematically reviews the evidence for commonly used herbs during pregnancy and lactation. OBJECTIVES To systematically review the literature for evidence on the use, safety, and...

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...

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...

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...

The characteristic flavour and aroma of any beer is, in large part, determined by the yeast strain employed and the wort composition. In addition, properties such as flocculation, wort fermentation ability (including the uptake of wort sugars, amino acids, and peptides), ethanol and osmotic pressure tolerance together with oxygen requirements have a critical impact on fermentation performance. ...

Uniformly labeled C-palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids were used individually to trace wort fatty acids in ale yeast fermentations. Fatty acids extracted from the resulting beers were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography with concurrent radioactivity monitoring. Lipid components extracted from the harvested yeast were separated by thin-layer chromatography, and the fatty acyl residues of thes...

Parallel brewing trials were performed in laboratory brewery. For beer wort hopping, hop pellets of diff erent age (“slightly aged” and “strongly aged” one) and storage indexes (0.35 and 0.59, respectively) were used. During brewing were measured bitterness, utilization of -acids and index of -acids isomerization. Mature beers were evaluated by panel taste testing. Th e results of panel testi...

This article reviews the historical background, active ingredients of St. John's Wort and the major double-blind placebo-controlled studies. Despite the two major failed clinical trials conducted in American Research Centers, most of the data reviewed support that hypericum extracts are more effective than placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate depressive illness. The authors examine the...