New St. John's Wort Study Forming

by Diane Lofshult

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is launching a new study to assess the effectiveness and safety of St. John’s Wort for the treatment of minor depression. The 4-year study will take place at three sites—in Boston, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. Enrollment is expected to be around 300 participants, all suffering from minor depression.

Study participants will be randomly given St. John’s Wort, the drug citalopram (Celexa) or a placebo and will then be assessed for changes in symptoms, functioning and quality of life. The study is open to both genders. Subjects must be between 18 and 85 years old and have had symptoms of minor depression for at least 6 months, among other criteria. For more information on this upcoming study, contact www.clinicaltrials.gov.