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St. John's Wort Supplements Review

Find the Best St. John's Wort Supplement. Only 40% of St. John's Wort Supplements Pass Tests & Strength Varies Widely.

Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated July 08, 2024 ⓘ

St John's Wort Supplements Reviewed By Consumerlab.com

Summary

Do St. John's wort supplements help?
Taking a supplement with the right type and amount of St. John's wort extract appears to be as effective in treating major depression of mild to moderate severity as standard antidepressant drugs, but with fewer side effects. St. John's wort is unlikely to help people who aren't truly depressed (See What It Does).
How much St. John's wort should I take?
Clinical trials suggest that an effective dose is 900 mg per day of a concentrated extract standardized to at least 0.3% hypericin and/or 1% to 3% hyperforin (see ConsumerTips™).
Which St. John's wort product is best?
Choose carefully, because 60% of the St. John's wort supplements selected for testing by ConsumerLab.com did not contain expected amounts of one or more key plant chemicals. There was enormous range in these amounts, indicating that you could get, for example, as much as 280 times more hyperforin from one product than from another. Four products were Approved by ConsumerLab.com, three of which are good choices and one of which was CL's Top Pick. Use our Results Table to see which products were, or were not, Approved, and to compare ingredients, test results, and prices.
Don't get hurt! Safety and side effects of St. John's wort:
Although generally safe, St. John's wort can cause a range of side effects. It may cause mania in people with bipolar disorder and it may increase sensitivity to ultraviolet light, causing unexpected sunburn. Most importantly, St. John's wort can interact with a wide range of medications. See Concerns and Cautions for more information.

Products tested in 2016

+— 24 sources

In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. The following sources are referenced in this article:

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Alphabetical list of St. John's wort supplement brands compared in this review

Gaia Herbs St. John’s Wort Flower Buds & Tops

Nature's Way Perika St. John's Wort

NOW St. John's Wort

Planetary Herbals Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort

Shaklee MoodLift Complex

Standard Process MediHerb St. John's Wort

Swanson St. John's Wort

Vitacost St. John's Wort Extract

Vitamin Shoppe St. John's Wort Extract

Whole Foods St. John's Wort

You must be a member to get the full test results and independent quality ratings for St. John's wort supplements along with ConsumerLab.com's recommendations of the best St. John's wort supplements. In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:

Which St. John's wort supplements failed testing, which passed, and which one is ConsumerLab.com's Top Pick
Key differences in quality and ingredients among St. John's wort supplements
Which supplements are most like clinically-tested St. John's wort extract

Price comparisons of St. John's wort supplements to help you find the best quality St. John's wort at lowest cost
Dosage recommendations for the antidepressant use of St. John's wort extracts and other herbal preparations
Concerns, cautions, side-effects and many drug interactions to avoid with St. John's wort