St. John's Wort for depressive disorders: results of an outpatient study with the Hypericum preparation HYP 811

The efficacy and tolerability of a high-dose formulation of St. John's Wort extract, HYP 811, was tested in 607 patients in a 6-week, prospective, multicenter, postmarketing surveillance study. Severity of depression was assessed by physicians using the Hamilton Depression Scale; patient self-evaluation was performed using the von Zerssen Depression Scale. After 6 weeks of treatment, both scores improved by approximately 60%, on average. Disturbances in well-being, such as dejection, loss of interest, and generalized physical complaints, diminished during therapy. The tolerability of HYP 811 was rated "very good" and "good" in 89.4% of cases. After 3 weeks of treatment, dosage in 128 patients (21.1%) was successfully reduced to one capsule daily.