[St. John' Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)--multicompound preparations versus single substances]

Abstract

Aqueous alcoholic extracts of St. John s wort are used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Recently, Hypericum extracts were also shown to inhibit the growth of various human malignant cells. We promote the hypothesis that the various biological activities of aqueous Hypericum extracts are based on synergistic interactions of all compounds present therein and not on the pharmacological activities of single compounds.