SSRI vs St. John's Wort for mood
Short answer: For mood, more users report improvement with St. John's Wort — 87% of 127 reports, versus 50% of 34 for SSRI.
St. John's Wort has 98 meta-analyses and 111 randomized trials on PubMed; the other has not been graded.
Based on 85 reports about SSRI and 314 about St. John's Wort. Not medical advice.
| SSRI Medication | St. John's Wort Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 14%helped54 reports · medium confidence | 50%helped151 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly negative | Mixed |
| Research | Not graded | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | — | 98 / 111 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 50% (34) | 87% (127) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 73% (11) | 82% (44) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 0% (14) | 33% (3) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 25% (4) | 60% (10) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 50% (2) | 71% (7) |
| Common side effects | anhedonia, brain fog, erectile dysfunction, emotional blunting | photosensitivity, serotonin syndrome, eye problems, dissociation |
| Typical dose reported | Not listed | 100 mg |
St. John's WortFull St. John's Wort profile →
Latest review conclusion
Our research supports the use of SJW as it reduced the number of depressive patients and their HAMD scores while having fewer risks and side effects than conventional medications.
Adv Clin Exp Med, 2023 ↗What a user said
“St. John's Wort, Passion Flower, Hops, and Skullcap. My sleep improved with those.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate