BACKGROUND Extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) have been traditionally recommended for a wide range of medical conditions, in particular mild-to-moderate depression. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Hypericum perforatum treatment in a mouse model of anxiety/depressive-like behavior, induced by chronic corticosterone administration. METHODS CD1 mice we...

Hexaploid seeds are produced by predominantly tetraploid populations of Hypericum perforatum, but the fate of hexaploid seedlings and their reproductive behavior have not been closely examined. We used flow cytometry to analyze single seeds and individual plant samples of three accessions of H. perforatum to determine ploidy levels and reproductive pathways. Seed samples of all three accessions...

Natural product Hypericum perforatum L. has been used in folk medicine to improve mental performance. However, the effect of H. perforatum L. on metabolism is still unknown. In order to test whether H. perforatum L. extract (EHP) has an effect on metabolic syndrome, we treated diet induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J mice with the extract. The chemical characters of EHP were investigated with thin-lay...

BACKGROUND St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is an herbaceous plant that is native to Europe, West Asia and North Africa and that is recognized and used worldwide for the treatment of mild and moderate depression. It also has been shown to be therapeutic for the treatment of burns, bruises and swelling and can be used for its wound healing, antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidant, analges...

Identifying specialist and generalist species is of great interest to conservation biologists, population ecologists, and population geneticists. Specialization can be quantified with or without abundant data; we contend and prove that using floral abundance data leads to better identification of specialists. This can be of importance when analyzing non-native species, such as the Hypericum per...

Hypericum perforatum L. is a medicinal plant considered as an important natural source of secondary metabolites with a wide range of pharmacological attributes. Hairy roots (HR) were induced from root segments of in vitro grown seedlings from H. perforatum after cocultivation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. Investigations have been made to study the production of phenolic compounds in dark-gr...

Since ancient times, the essential oils (EOs) of many aromatic plants have been used as bioactive ingredients in drug, food and cosmetic formulations all over the world. Significant biological properties have also been attributed to Hypericum EOs. Hypericum is a genus of about 450 species in the Guttiferae family, formerly often treated separately in their own Hypericaceae family. Despite the l...

Objective: Hypericum perforatum has demonstrated antidepressant efficacy when compared to placebo, but comparisons with other antidepressants remain controversial. We assessed the efficacy and safety of Hypericum perforatum in comparison with fluoxetine, in a 8-week double-blind trial in patients with mild to moderate depression. Method: Seventy-two outpatients were randomly assigned to receive...

The anatomy and ultrastructure of internodes, leaves and petals were compared in Hypericum elegans, H. inodorum, H. olympicum, H. forrestii and two genotypes of H. perforatum. Internode anatomy was variable between species with respect to the structure of the cortical and pith parenchyma, including the presence of secretory reservoirs. Also, the secondary growth was more extensive in shrubs, i....