Muldner and Zoller (1984), in a clinical trial with 6 depressive women, 55-65 years old, measured smetabolites of noradrenaline and dopamine in the urine, and found that after taking a standardized hypericin extract, there was a significant increase in 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglucol, a marker for the beginning of an antidepressive reaction. The same research team, working with 15 women taking a standard hypercin extract, demonstrated an improvement in symptoms of anxiety, dysphoric mood, loss of interest, hypersomnia, anorexia, depression (worse in the morning), insomnia, obstipation, psychomotoric retardation, and feelings of worthlessness. They reported no side-effects (99).

Wound and Burn Healing
In a number of studies St. John's wort extracts have demonstrated anti-bacterial and wound-healing activity. For instance, two widely prescribed Russian preparations of Hypericum, novoimanine and imanine, have been tested for Staphylococcus aureus infection in vivo and in vitro, and been found to be more effective than sulfonilamide (100, 101, 102). Hyperforin, a bicyclic tetraketone from H. perforatum, is reported to be a main antibiotic constituent of novoimanine (103).

One German patent mentions that an ointment containing an extract of St. John's wort flowers shortened healing time of burns and showed antiseptic activity (104). According to the report, first degree burns healed in 48 hours when treated with the ointment, while second and third degree burns healed without keloid (a type of scar tissue) formation three times faster than burns treated by conventional methods.

Other reports include that a freeze-dried St. John's-wort extract suppressed inflammation and leukocyte infiltration in vivo (105), and that St. John's wort oil has been used in commercial products as a sun screen. However, reports of its efficacy in this latter regard are contradictory (106, 107).

Anti-viral Effects
International interest increased in St. John's wort after researchers from New York University medical center and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel demonstrated that two compounds from the plant strongly inhibit a variety of retroviruses in vitro and in vivo (108). Several points bear citing from their report:

• "When the compounds interact with the infecting particles shortly after in vivo administration, disease is completely prevented."
• "Preliminary in vitro studies with pseudohypericin indicate that it can reduce the spread of HIV."
• The total yield of hypericin and psuedohypericin from H. triquetrifolium Turra was 0.04%.
• The compounds were still effective when administered orally or i.p. within 1 day of infection.
• No serious toxic side effects were noticed after testing over 800 mice with the compounds. Administration of the compounds did not result in abnormalities in any of a wide variety of clinical tests performed on the animals.
• Hypericin shows toxicity to some human cells at very high concentrations (>10 ug/ml, or lower for some cell types). Pseudohypericin is less toxic. Fortunately, the compounds show remarkable antiviral potency "after one administration of a relatively small dose of the compounds."
• "The compounds directly inactivate the virions or interfere with assembly or shedding of assembled viral particles."
• "The compounds can cross the blood-brain barrier" (important for HIV infection).