st johns wort - Seems to have made a big difference

Hi Guys, I am not sure how many threads have been made about St Johns Wort before but i thought i would share my experience this week incase others find it useful.
Basically I have been aware of getting SAD for several years now. Last year I probably had the most down winter so far. (I do have a Lamp although most likely dont use it often enough) I decided that if things got bad again this year, then i would finally go to the Doctors and seek help. I did start getting bad again this year, so went to the doctors and have just had blood tests done.
Anyway a friend of my wifes was visiting and she has been getting some depression and mentioned how St Johns Wort had been very good. Feeling really fuzzing headed and having anxiety, I decided to pop to the chemist and buy some, got to be worth a try i thought!
I took the first tablet and within hours starting feeling more calm and relaxed.
A tablet a day so far for a whole week and my head has been clear and the anxiety has gone.
I appreciate this is still early days, But thought I would post this, as if others like me was not keen on trying Anti Depressants, then maybe St Johns Wort, which is herbal and available from the chemist, might work for you!
I'll keep you posted over the next few weeks to see how it goes, but so far its looking really hopeful.

Great to hear Darren. Though do be careful regarding light and eye sensitivity from St Johns Wort and going out in the sun or light therapy. I think another member here didn't get a problem but some do find it an unfortunate side effect. Also for women it should be noted that St Johns Wort may contradict birth control.

More info on side effects and precautions:
http://www.sjwinfo.org/sideeffects.php
http://www.sjwinfo.org/cautions.php
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/st-johns-000276.htm

There is also a forum which discusses St Johns Wort:
http://www.sjwinfo.org/forum/

If any of the above becomes a problem then other herbal antidepressant alternatives to St Johns Wort which also boost serotonin are tryptophan or 5-HTP. There is also rhodiola rosea which may also help with fatigue. Though those with anxiety should maybe keep doses low so as to not be over-stimulated. It's always best to start at the lowest dose of anything. Note: Only one antidepressant should be taken at a time. Also similar to medications herbals may have certain side effects. Some sites to read about those are on http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ or http://www.raysahelian.com

There is also a connection between Vitamin D and synthesis of tryptophan to serotonin. Vitamin D is often lacking in winter since its mainly sourced from sunlight. The NHS are offering cheap testing for Vitamin D levels (normally they aren't offered on NHS unless you suffer from rickets and cost £160 private but a lab is doing them for £20): http://www.vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D might inhibit the binding of melatonin to the nuclear retinoid Z receptors, which would result in the increased serotonin levels. Serotonin synthesis is hypothesized to be dependent on the duration of light exposure the previous summer.

Quote above from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9792205

Hi dahash - can you let us know which brand you use ? I would be very keen to find out more about products that work so quickly..
thank you
liza