Does St. Johns wort have side effects or interact with prescription medications?
The most common side effects of St. John’s wort include dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and fatigue. Research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals that St. John’s wort may reduce the effectiveness of several drugs by speeding up activity in a key pathway responsible for their breakdown. The end result is that blood levels of these drugs decrease because the body breaks them down faster making the drugs less effective. St. John’s wort especially affects indinavir, a protease inhibitor used to treat HIV infection. It may also affect cyclosporine, a drug used to help prevent organ transplant rejection, and other drugs that work through this same pathway in the body, such as birth control pills and medications for heart disease and depression. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory on February 10, 2000, warning physicians of these potential adverse interactions and advising them to aler
