St. John's Wort is a plant that grows in the wild and is harvested for its active ingredient, hypericum, and this is the "drug" that actually has an effect on you. Externally, the oil of St. John's wort may be used as a reinforcing balm for the skin. Internally, St. John's wort is a specific for the nervous system, and it is used to support nerve tissues throughout the body. The herb induces hypotension in blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow. It is often used by those who are experiencing high degrees of stress or mental burnout. It is not generally appropriate for those who suffer from severe depression. As a magical charm, a nurturing skin balm and a nervous system support, St. John's wort is the herb par excellence.

St. John's wort ("wort" is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning herb) is named after John the Baptist. The red oil glands that dot the herb's leaves were once believed to be drops of blood, a reminder of the day the saint was beheaded. Some traditionalists believe that the best day to harvest St. John's herb is on June 24, the Feast of St. John. Interestingly, that harvest date often does yield optimal potency in the herb.

The correct dosage, according to the original study by the British Medical Journal, is three capsules of St. John's Wort extract per day, 300 mg each, standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin (note: this is a total of 900 mg per day at 0.3% -- too little might not be effective, but some people prefer to start out with a lower dosage anyway or have a smaller body size). Smaller people might want to only take two capsules, teens should only take one or two, and children (at the advice of a doctor) should take no more than one.

I strongly recommend you to take it about an hour before bed. When you take the full dosage in the morning, or even spread the dosage out over breakfast, lunch and supper, you might experience some initial fatigue. Some people find that it initially makes them tired but that eventually fades. If you're having problems, try a different time of day and see if that makes a difference.

Mostly, there aren't any side effects at all but it does certainly seem that there are far fewer, and possibly less severe, side effects than what many people experience with other antidepressants. In fact, side-effects are the single biggest reason why people start taking St. John's Wort -- to avoid the perils typical of other antidepressants (SSRIs like Paxil, Prozac, Serzone, Zoloft, and many others), such as the sexual side-effects. Of many thousands of people who have took St. John's wort, seldom are side-effects even mentioned as they must either not be present or not intrusive enough to cause any concern.