World J Biol Psychiatry · 2022
Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) TaskforceDoes St. John's Wort help with anxiety?
Yes, for most people. 82% of 44 people who reported on St. John's Wort for anxiety say it improved. 7% noticed no change and 11% say it got worse. That is about the typical result for anxiety (85% across 95 options).
Anxiety: what users report
82%better44 reports · medium confidence
36 better3 no change5 worse
Ranked #57 of 95 for anxiety.
What people say about St. John's Wort and anxiety
“I dabbled with 5-HTP ... and St. John's Wort ... and found them to have some nice anti-anxiety / sedating effects.”
“I am taking Saint John's Wort and Bacopa now to modulate my serotonin system, as well as trimethylglycine to help boost catecholamine production. That is helping a lot.”
“I tried St John's Wort, Tryptofan and 5-htp. None worked, it even made the problem subtly worse.”
“This started after using Ashwagandha and St. John’s Wort. Instead of relaxing me, they seemed to 'turn off' my ability to feel pleasure or motivation.”
What the research says
AResearch: Strong98 meta-analyses · 111 trials on PubMed
Side effects people mention
photosensitivity 12serotonin syndrome 5eye problems 2dissociation 1sun sensitivity 1
What else is St. John's Wort used for?
Information only — not medical advice. How we count