NOW Supplements, St. John's Wort 300mg, Standardized Extract, 100 Veg Caps

I enjoy this supplement. It relaxes me and relieve some stress. However the best part of Hypericum is it prevents me from having any outbreaks from my HSV-1. I've been taking this product for over two years and I can't remember the last time I had an outbreak. The smell is more off putting that the taste but it is very earthy tasting. My dosage is one in the morning daily.

I believe in this brand and in this product. Last summer, I had a reaction to Prozac. I knew I couldn't take it but I also knew my serotonin was low. As soon as I began taking St. John's Wort I noticed a difference but the really good effects take about 6 weeks. (You have to be patient). If you have to take a psych med, please do so. BUT, if your doc is like mine, you might want to give this natural treatment a try before taking Prozac or some other med. (By the way, NEVER mix St. John's Wort with psych meds!) From my experience, here's how St. John's Wort and Prozac compare: * I keep my sex drive and I have no sexual dysfunction on St. John's Wort like I had on Prozac. Prozac robs the body of any desire for sex and if the desire is there the performance isn't so great. St. John's Wort doesn't rob the body of anything. * My mind is clear on St. John's Wort, that wasn't the case on Prozac. Prozac made me crave alcohol. * St. John's Wort actually decreases my anxiety. Prozac decreased my anxiety for a while but it wasn't effective in all situations. St. John's Wort does a better job at decreasing anxiety. I highly recommend St. John's Wort because I know from experience. I took Prozac for over 5 years. I can't stress this enough though: DO NOT TAKE ST. JOHN'S WORT WITH ANY PSYCH MEDS (ANTI-DEPRESSANTS).

My teenage kid has been temperamental, morose, cynical, etc etc. All the behaviors and snooty comments that come with angsty pubescent age. I've been worried and anxious as I helplessly watched our relationship deteriorate. Some days we would barely exchange a few words, she would be in her bedroom the entire day, and even the most neutral comment or question from me would cause some form of mild to extreme tirade. I was searching for therapists but worried that they would all impulsively recommend pharmaceuticals to "fix" the problem. One day during one of our "connected" moments I mentioned to my daughter about SJW and she quickly jumped at the opportunity to try it. That is how desperate she was. Within hours I heard her humming and whistling cheerfully. That same night she repeatedly came up to me to chat and joke, and show me things that she was doing, eg. drawings, video games. She is often forgetful, but she diligently remembers to take these capsules without any prompt from me, which is itself amazing. It's been only about a week, but every day since has been a complete transformation. I am so grateful that this product exists. Sure, the smell/flavor isn't delightful, but it's tolerable, and definitely worth the compromise.

SJW works for some people and not for others. Talk to your doctor to decide if it's for you and establish dosage. Be very careful as SJW can interact with prescription and OTC meds (particularly hormone treatments like birth control!) I always make sure I mention that I'm on SJW and the dose whenever a health-care professional asks about what medicines I'm taking. (Always be careful with herbal supplements. Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's safe or won't cause interactions... herbs are medicines, too.) That said, I wish someone had introduced me to it much earlier in life. It has been a huge help in taking the edge off my depression. And I know that it's working because every time I miss a couple of days, I notice a drop in my mood and an increase in my depression symptoms. It's taught me a lot about my condition. NOW brand has worked for me. I can tell it is fairly consistent and fresh. If capsules get left out of the airtight bottle for more than a week, the herb dries out and gets dark and compacted, rattling around in the gelcap instead of filling it. I've used NOW for years.

NOW is a pretty decent brand that offers good value and quality. These capsules are standardized. When buying herbs, avoid "whole" varieties; always get standardized. "Whole" herbs are just that- ground up stems, leaves and whatever else gets dropped into the grinder. The therapeutic ingredient of a given herb is often only found in one part of the plant. Therefore, if you are not purchasing standardized herbs, you are getting diluted ingredients. Standardized, on the other hand, ensures a specific therapeutic ingredient at a guaranteed percentage and purity, as well as chemical consistency across batches. With this product, I find 300mg 3x per day to be quite effective.

I was a bit skeptical about St. John's Wort and if it would really help me. I don't have any diagnosed anxiety/depression, but lately I have been feeling more easily stressed/frustrated and unhappy...especially when it's that time of the month. I found myself being more concerned/anxious about social situations and so I figured I would give it a try. So I would say after a few days I did notice myself having much more "good days", and then after about a month realized that I just wasn't really having even 25% of the unhappiness/stress in my life that I had felt previously. Thinking maybe it was a placebo effect, I decided when this one ran out I would just pick up a different brand at my local Whole Foods that I thought might actually be better as it was more potent and in a liquid tab form so supposedly more easily absorbed. It's been about a week and I have decided to give up on this new brand b/c I am definitely feeling more stressed and anxious again and I am ordering another bottle of this brand b/c it actually does make a more significant difference in my mood.

Have used St.John's Wort for over 20 years. When I first started, I didn't notice any change, but my family did! It took a while for me to notice a 'lightness' in mood that was different. Over the years whenever I've run out and stopped taking it for a while...my family notices and reminds me to keep taking it. Now, I'm on a ordering schedule so I never run out :) If you are new to using St. John's Wort...be patient. It can take several weeks to reach full effectiveness in your body. It also takes a while to 'leave' the body after stopping use, so there is no problem with weaning off...you just stop taking it. Also be aware that it is a blood thinner and some people may be more sensitive to that aspect. It may also cause sun sensitivity, so be careful about sun exposure. I haven't had a problem with either of these issues myself. This brand is very good quality and a great price! UPDATE: March 2015.....Am still using this brand. Very consistent quality.

I feel like it really does help with blocking anxiety, but at the expense of losing some ambition. I felt both less anxiety and motivation to do things or get things done. The bottle instructs you to take it 3 times a day (I am sure a lot of people miss that and only take it once a day). I think it depends on the person though. For me, once a day is probably enough.