Does anyone know much about this? I have neuropathy in my feet and is very annoying. I saw it recommeded on the internet.

The last time I was depressed I took St. John's Wort. For depression it takes quite a while (a number of weeks) to kick in; the effects are cumulative, and not instant at all.

I did not know there were other uses for the plant.

One thing I will say is this: If you take it, make sure you go with a well-known and reputable brand, and make sure the container is well within its expiry date period. Natural remedies like St. John's Wort can be extremely variable in their content, and you want to ensure you are not receiving widely varying dosages, or dosages that are extremely high. Choosing a well-known large-name brand should help to ensure a safe and consistent product.

For my depression I believe this was a very helpful drug for me to take. I had read online about more mainstream treatments for depression and was scared off by the descriptions of symptoms people experienced (namely by something people referred to as "brain zaps" - and these were people who considered the drugs to be very helpful). I was not comfortable with those described side effects. St. John's Wort had a noticeable physical effect for me, and when I slowly weaned myself off of it (which is important to prevent side effects), my depression did not come back in full force. I was able to get myself to where I am now.

But I think it's important to keep in mind that "natural" options are not necessarily safer. In fact, natural options such as St. John's Wort are FAR less regulated than manufactured prescription drugs, so there is a much HIGHER danger of overdosing or having negative reactions. Do your research, and make sure you're comfortable with the risks, because the people who sell the stuff aren't going to tell you how dangerous it might be (and in fact, they're not obligated to in the same way drug companies are).

I took St. John's Wort for Wintertime Blues about 10 years ago. It seemed to work well for that. However, I haven't heard about it working for anything else.

I agree that you need to make sure the expiration date and brand should be carefully watched.

I would ask your doctor about it first however, when I did, my doc gave me some speech about not being approved by the FDA. He has no sense of humor.