Duration of action of St. John’s wort

External application of St. John’s wort shows a fast onset of action. Depending on the symptoms, regular treatment with St. John’s wort can be continued over several days and weeks until the symptoms have clearly improved or resolved. When St. John’s wort is used internally in high doses for the treatment of mild and moderate depression, the effect usually occurs only after a few weeks.

For final psychological stabilization, the therapy must often be continued for several months and years. This period until stabilization is achieved varies considerably from patient to patient. As a rule, psychological stabilization is maintained after discontinuation of the preparation.

When treating with St. John’s wort, it is important to note that the preparations are available from the pharmacy. In Germany they are sold over the counter. There are alcoholic extracts or an oily form (red oil).

Depending on the area of application, the dosage of St. John’s wort varies considerably.Experts believe that daily doses of at least 900 mg are necessary to treat mild to moderate depression. Depending on the preparation, the tablets can be taken one to three times a day. As a rule, up to an amount of 2000-2500 mg there is no risk of overdose.

A daily dose of 450 to 1000 mg extract or 3.0 to 4.5 ml tincture is recommended. For external use, oil (red oil) is suitable for rubbing in. The exact dosage should be adjusted individually for each patient in consultation with the treating physician.

You should also discuss the duration of the therapy with a doctor. Highly dosed St. John’s wort is used for internal application for mild and moderate depression. It is administered in the form of tablets or capsules.

To guarantee the effectiveness of St. John’s wort, experts say that daily doses of at least 900 mg of St. John’s wort are required. Many over-the-counter powder products, such as those sold in drugstores, contain much smaller amounts of St. John’s wort and are not sufficient for antidepressant therapy. These can only be used for mild and temporary depressive disorders.

Since 2009, the high-dose products for treating depression have been available in pharmacies on a prescription basis. Therapy with St. John’s wort must always be carried out in consultation with a doctor. Frequently prescribed preparations are Laif 900, Jarsin RX 300, Neuroplant and Texx RP 300.

Internal use of St. John’s wort can be in the form of capsules or tablets. The relevant quantities of active ingredients and composition of the preparations do not usually differ. Both should be taken with sufficient liquid.

Tablets contain the active ingredient as a kind of compressed powder. It is not surrounded by a protective cover and dissolves in the stomach area at the latest. As a result, the various ingredients can interact with their environment even before absorption in the small intestine and in rare cases can lead to side effects (e.g. an unpleasant taste).

With capsules, the active ingredient quantity is instead surrounded by a gelatine shell. This has the advantage that the active ingredient is only released in the small intestine. The stomach can thus be bypassed and protected. For many patients, swallowing a capsule is also easier than taking a tablet. However, absorption into the body is somewhat delayed because the gelatine shell of the capsule first has to be dissolved.