(This column was first published in the July 15, 2002 Buffalo News.)
There is surely no wildflower that enjoys a better
press than St. Johnswort. It seems that every few weeks another newspaper
article appears and I just finished reading one of the seven books our regional
libraries carry about this unprepossessing but widespread little plant.
Before we explore the source of all the attention,
I'll introduce you to these weeds.
Notice the plural there. My Peterson and McKenny
wildflower guide carries a full page of St. Johnsworts with eight species
listed. What they all share are opposite leaves and many bright yellow blossoms
with five petals, the center of each of those blossoms filled with an array of
bushy stamens.
The most widespread of the eight is the appropriately
named common St. Johnswort, also called Klamath weed or goatweed. The only
introduced species in the group, it contributes its bright yellow to our
roadsides and untended fields. What distinguishes this species from its cousins
is the line of black dots along the edge of each petal.
These are all midsummer plants, first blossoming at
the time of the late-June summer solstice and continuing to bloom until
September. Their common name derives from the celebration in midsummer of the
birth of John the Baptist. And their genus, Hypericum, comes to us from a still older belief system. This
name relates to Hyperion, the father of the Greek sun god, Helios, so that it
is again appropriate to the time of our longest days.
Why then all the fuss and bother about this
admittedly attractive plant that so often fills in and improves the appearance
of our waste areas?
The answer to that question may be seen in the
subtitle of the book I read: Norman Rosenthal's St. John's Wort: The Herbal
Way to Feeling Good. Medicine
derived from the plant is widely used as an antidepressant, a
"natural" alternative to many widely-prescribed drugs. Its use is far
from insignificant. The market for St. Johnswort is over a half billion dollars
worldwide. In Germany, for example, it is recommended by doctors four times as
often as Prozac. It is now being touted by some as a weight loss aid which will
still further increase its sales.
Although its use is increasing exponentially today,
this herb has a 2400-year history and is even said to have been prescribed by
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine.
I found Dr. Rosenthal's presentation quite
reasonable. He clearly believes in this herbal remedy and provides much
anecdotal evidence in its favor. However, he is careful to warn those who wish
to use it to seek the counsel of a physician.
The problem with this herb as with virtually all
other natural dietary supplements is that, despite all the anecdotal evidence
and unlike standard pharmaceuticals, it has not met the strict standards of
medical testing. Such testing involves comparison of the tested intervention
with a disguised non-effective pill called a placebo. The two are administered
to different groups in such a way that neither the users nor the persons giving
the pills know which is being taken. This is called a double-blind experiment.
In fact the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine recently completed the first such test, finding the herb
"ineffective for major depression of moderate severity."
Doctors warn of negative interactions of St.
Johnswort with other drugs and there are photosensitivity issues: animal
symptoms include skin blisters and hair loss. Also a Los Angeles Times study
found that the quality of over-the-counter pills fell far short of advertised
claims.
Despite these problems, this herb may still be right
for you. Caution is advised, however.-- Gerry Rising
Added Notes: During the first half of the 20th century especially in the
drier lands of western North America, St. Johnswort was a very serious
pest weed, infesting at one time over 2 million acres of grazing lands,
where it choked out the grasses on which the cattle fed and infected
horses and sheep with scabbed noses, until in 1951 an European beetle was
brought in to control it.
This same plant created great difficulties for Gregor Mendel, the great
geneticist. Mendel was asked by one of the "authorities" to whom he sent
his findings, to replicate what he had discovered with St. Johnswort. He
had no luck whatsoever because, unlike the peas that Mendel had been
using, St. Johnswort does not breed true.-- Gerry
Rising