AHPA criticizes St. John's Wort study in JAMA.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study on June 11th concluding that St. John's Wort doesn't benefit children with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study compared St. John's Wort (300 mg) to a placebo in 54 children (ages 6-17), who took one of the two treatment options for 8 weeks. In the end, researchers said the herb didn't work any better than placebo. Following publication of the study, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Silver Spring, MD, pointed out several crucial flaws. First and foremost, the marketing of St. John's Wort for ADHD is very uncommon. Furthermore, AHPA points out, the authors admitted the product had seriously degraded by the end of the trial. The H. perforatum used in the study was reported to be standardized to 0.3% hypericin; however, at the end of the study the product contained only 0.13% hypericin and 0.14% hyperforin.

"It is possible that a product standardized to at least 3% hyperforin could benefit children with ADHD symptoms if it were delivered in a method that limits oxidation," Weber et al. note in the study.

(For more details on this study, see this issue's global herbs and botanicals overview on page 54.)