St. John's Wort and birth control pills

[RedheadHardBody]

Anyone who is taking St. John's Wort and any kind of birth control pills should know that St. John's Wort lessens the affect of your birth control. I read that in some nursing journal.

[RedheadHardBody]

Here is the url for the article. web page (http://www.raysahelian.com/s*****.html)

[thunderpunch]

Black kohosh could have the same effect also.

[Thigmotaxi]

St. John's Wort affects the effect of many medications.
The liver uses a specific pathway for odd substances such as drugs and the like. This special pathway is named the
"cytochrome P-450 electron transport pathway". Drugs like the popular antiacid "Tagemet" and some herbs including St. John's Wort block most of the pathway and therefore prevent
other medications from being allowed to be used by the body.

[Thigmotaxi]

In fact there is a superior substance on the open market which works better in women than St. John's Wort. The item
is called "5 - hydroxy triptophan"; it is one biological step from serotonin in the brain which is "5 - hydroxy triptomine." In doses of
250 mg every 12 hours it is an outstanding antidepressant.
5-HTP is more expensive than St. John's Wort but works as well as the prescription serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors which cost a fortune. 5-HTP also depresses carbohydrate cravings which will allow you to maintain a better bodyfat to muscle ratio.
The cheapest nutraceuticals that I have found on the Web are
at "www.swansonvitamins.com".

[davethewonderpony]

Isn't triptophan the hormone in turkey that gets converted to serotonin and makes you sleepy? I can see why it would be an effective anti-depressant. I'm always happy when I'm sleeping. /forum/images/icons/grin.gif

[Thigmotaxi]

10-4 Dave. Triptophan converts to serotonin.
As I mentioned, 5-hydroxy triptophan is only one biological step away from 5-hydroxy triptomine (serotonin).
Increasing serotonin in the brain reduces appetite, imporves sleep, and elevates mood.
5-HTP does not block other drugs from entry into the system
as does St. John's Wort. The most recent tests of this product indicate that it is equal in effectiveness with
drugs like "Paxil". The studies from the "National Institutes of Health" show that it is also safer than the
pharmaceutical substances. Paxil is a serotonin specific
reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). 5-HTP only increases the output
of serotonin, in the brain, without interfering with its
reuptake.