Contraindications for St. John’s wort oil | St. John’s wort oil

Contraindications for St. John’s wort oil

St. John’s wort oil preparations are contraindicated for severe depression. St. John’s wort oil capsules should not be used during pregnancy and lactation. If a transplantation is imminent, it should not be taken before.

It is contraindicated in combination with drugs with which it interacts. In case of intolerances and allergies to St. John’s wort oil itself or to other ingredients of the preparations, these should be avoided at all costs. The reduced effectiveness of the contraceptive pill, up to and including the loss of contraceptive protection when taking St. John’s wort oil, is a sensitive issue among experts.

Biochemically it is a fact that St. John’s wort oil preparations have an effect on the breakdown of the contraceptive pill due to their influence on a certain enzyme. According to this, the hormones from the birth control pill preparations, which are supposed to inhibit ovulation, cannot remain in the bloodstream long enough to develop their effect. The contraceptive protection would therefore be at risk.

In some cases, the effect of St. John’s wort oil on the contraceptive pill can be recognized by an irregular cycle or inter-bleeding. Some authors report unwanted pregnancies and the above-mentioned side effects in this context. Other authors deny the risk of an unwanted pregnancy in this context.

They assume that the effect of St. John’s wort oil on the contraceptive pill is not sufficient to effectively endanger contraceptive protection. Furthermore, it remains questionable whether St. John’s wort oil preparations have an influence on other contraceptives, such as the so-called Nuva ring. To avoid unwanted pregnancies and other side effects, the use of St. John’s wort oil preparations should be discussed with the treating physician.

The internal use of St. John’s wort oil should be avoided in baby and infancy. Only in certain cases and under medical supervision may the use of St. John’s wort oil preparations be indicated for children over 6 years of age. In addition, the external use of St. John’s wort oil should be handled very carefully in baby age.