St. John's Wort and depression

During the recent years in Russia in connection with misfortunes coming on us depressions take the first place among psychiatric disorders.

Depression - is a bad mood, usually followed by low work efficiency.

However, depression can take hidden form, that's why in cases of inexplicable low spirits it's better to ask yourself some questions:

In case you answered positive to most of the questions it's better to go to a psychiatrist.

As an alternative you can use herbs that cope with depression - phyto-antidepressants. The most available and popular among them is St. John's wort perforated (pierced and so on. The name of the plant comes from Kazakh 'gerabai' which means 'healing wounds'-not every aesculapius accepts such a title!)

St. John's wort - is an herbaceous rhizome plant with straight, double-edged, branchy stalk. Leaves are opposite-looking, smelling, oval, with transparent pointed glands. Flowers are yellow with a great number of stamens divided into three clusters. The fruit is a three-nested box with a great number of seeds. It's eight is 30-100 sm, the time of blossoming-June - July. Generally spread, it grows mostly in wood glades, bushes, gardens, dry meadows. Stalks, leaves, flowers are used. Time of harvesting is June-July.

St. John's wort as an herb is known from the times of ancient Greece. In Russia it was used at the beginning of 17th century already, it was considered an herb 'for 99 illnesses'. From 1968 it has been in the pharmacopoeia of our country. Nowadays it is grown as a crop. The upper part of the plant (about 30 sm) is harvested with the help of a sharp knife or scissors not to root it out; this way a plant can yield 2 or 3 times. The plant is dried at temperature not higher than 400 C. It is kept in a dry, cool place during 3 years.

The herb is applied in form of decoctions, extracts, tinctures and teas. It is convenient that while treating depression you can cure other disorders at the same time, for example functional ones which so often accompany depression-megrim, high blood pressure (at the beginning), chronic gastritis, colitis, cystitis, liver and kidney diseases, illnesses of lungs and bronchi. Such a polymorphism of the herb is caused by the fact that it has hypotensive, astringent,bile-expelling, antiphlogistic, styptic remedy, strengthens capillaries, reduces their absorption, improves venous circulation and blood supply to inner organs.

However, it's necessary to remember that overdose of this herb can cause overexcitement and insomnia.

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