You can get quite a strong trincture of it in most health food shops, a natural antidepresant, and it can be quite effective.
But its quite a dangerous plant. The active ingrediant is probably meant to be a poison, it poisons cattle. And it makes your skin very sensitive to light. I know because I tried it once and in bright sun light you feel like your burning up. With prolonged use it can lead to skin cancer, not alone, but combined with sunlight.
Being 'natural' it has no health warnings... but it really should.... how would you regulate natural products like this?
Originally posted by e4chris You can get quite a strong trincture of it in most health food shops, a natural antidepresant, and it can be quite effective.
But its quite a dangerous plant. The active ingrediant is probably meant to be a poison, it poisons cattle. And it makes your skin very sensitive to light. I know because I tried it once and in bright sun light you feel like your b ...[text shortened]... health warnings... but it really should.... how would you regulate natural products like this?
Being 'natural' it has no health warnings... but it really should....
Agreed. Whether something is 'natural' or 'unnatural' is irrelevant to the health risk it imposes or how 'good' or 'bad' it is. Rabies is natural and a life saving designer drag is unnatural. So just because something is natural doesn't mean it shouldn't be regulated.
Originally posted by e4chris 1. ... active ingrediant is probably meant to be a poison, ...
2. ... it can lead to skin cancer, not alone, but combined with sunlight.
1. "meant" ... ??? by whom?
2. combined with sunlight anything can give you skin cancer!
Last time I looked there was a warning on the Boots (UK Chemist) version.
I agree the regulation on natural products should be tightened up but this
really isnt as dangerous as salt or sugar!
There is reaserch linking it to skin cancer, i doubt you will ever find it but there is. it is toxic to animals... not lethal but toxic .... if it were a prescription drug... well it probably wouldn't make it that far. Also with a trincture its quite easy to take too much and its very concentrated to start.
Its up to people if they want to take it, i wouldn't, and I'd strongly advise them to try a much safer drug from the GP, but i wouldn't pull it from sale. its perfectly safe if you work in a coal mine! how you label it is a question.
If i ran a herbalist, I would sell weed, valerian and this happy fungus the chinese use as antidepressants. but not st johns wort on the grounds that its a plant based poison. The clue is in the name, you can get a brown rash, that can turn into skin cancer if sunbathe with enough of it.
Originally posted by e4chris You can get quite a strong trincture of it in most health food shops, a natural antidepresant, and it can be quite effective.
But its quite a dangerous plant. The active ingrediant is probably meant to be a poison, it poisons cattle. And it makes your skin very sensitive to light. I know because I tried it once and in bright sun light you feel like your b ...[text shortened]... health warnings... but it really should.... how would you regulate natural products like this?
Just like any other natural product is regulated. Try buying some arsenic in the shop and see how that goes.
Originally posted by Kepler Vitamin C is a bit toxic if taken to excess.
no thats on another scale, you can eat a tea spoon of vitamin c with no ill effects (and some people do) if you measured the ld50 of st johns wart you would find it very toxic, comparable with other poisons, a teaspoon of the active ingredient would almost certainly kill you.
Originally posted by e4chris not that long ago you could buy arsenic, it was used to treat syphalis... and offcourse didn't work ...
St john wort is not terrible but it is a bit toxic and there are much safer synthetic drugs
There are synthetic drugs like MDMA that have almost no associated health risks. It's unfortunate that government policy is driving consumers towards using more hazardous drugs such as alcohol.
Originally posted by KazetNagorra There are synthetic drugs like MDMA that have almost no associated health risks. It's unfortunate that government policy is driving consumers towards using more hazardous drugs such as alcohol.
As with cigarettes, alcohol should come with a health warning.
Originally posted by KazetNagorra There are synthetic drugs like MDMA that have almost no associated health risks. It's unfortunate that government policy is driving consumers towards using more hazardous drugs such as alcohol.
It bugs we that st johns wort is legal but weed is not, when weed would be far far better for that purpose.
Are you goading me? e4 is a pawn move only! 🙂 MDMA was taken of prescription because people who took it for a year or so started killing one another. not all of them but they were statistically likely to kill one another! it is a very crude drug that kicks a bucket over in your brain. I knew a few people who took it often and after 6 months they had serious problems they were like a rabbbit in headlights.
Originally posted by e4chris It bugs we that st johns wort is legal but weed is not, when weed would be far far better for that purpose.
Are you goading me? e4 is a pawn move only! 🙂 MDMA was taken of prescription because people who took it for a year or so started killing one another. not all of them but they were statistically likely to kill one another! it is a very crude drug t ...[text shortened]... ok it often and after 6 months they had serious problems they were like a rabbbit in headlights.
MDMA is a controlled substance because lawmakers think drugs are bad m'kay. Not because of its health risks, which are far smaller than those of alcohol and tobacco.
St Johns Wort
06 Mar '13 18:211 edit
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