Major Depression
Conditions
Brief summary
This observational study observes the routine use of low-dose St John's Wort herbal mother tincture in patients with major depression. It measures intensity of depression at the beginning of St Johns Wort and after 6 weeks and evaluates tolerability and compliance.
Detailed description
Herbal medicine is widely used, and high-quality evidence shows their efficacy and tolerability for specific disorders. Most of the studies, however, is conducted with standardized, relatively high dosed dry extract preparations, while other preparations such as tinctures are widely used as well. The aim of this observational study ist to document real-live use of the use of a low-dose herbal medicine preparation (a mother tincture) of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), to compare depression intensity at the beginning and after 6 weeks of therapy using the Hamilton Depression Scale 17, and to evaluate tolerability and compliance. Finally, the results will be compared with results of randomized controlled trials examining high dosed dry extract preparations of St John's Wort for major depression.
Interventions
DRUGSt John's Wort
daily intake of CERES St John's Wort mother tincture. Dose according to the treating physician.
Sponsors
University of Zurich
Ceres Heilmittel AG
Study design
Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* diagnosis of mild or moderate depression according to ICD-10 or DSM-IV * new start of CERES St John's wort mother tincture
Exclusion criteria
\- at the same time as St John's wort mother tincture started, other antidepressive therapy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Depression Scale 17 | Change at 6 weeks | validated tool to measure depression intensity. Maximum score 51, minimum 0. Higher score means higher intensity of depressive symptoms. |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed