Extract of St. John's wort (SJW: Hypericum perforatum) has gained widespread popularity as an over-the-counter, natural antidepressant. Until recently, SJW was thought to be well tolerated and relatively safe. Within the past year, adverse metabolic interactions have been reported between SJW and
This trial will determine the acute antidepressant efficacy of a standardized extract of hypericum (St. John's Wort) for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
For this trial, the primary efficacy analysis will be evaluated at 8 weeks. For observational purposes, a 4-month double blind