St. John's wort may not help ADHD in children/teens

A new study in the June 11 issue of JAMA suggests that the herb St. John's wort may not help children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

TUESDAY June 10, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in the June 11 issue of JAMA suggests that the herb St. John's wort may not help children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The results of the very small trial are suggestive because it remains unknown whether the dosage used was optimal. Different doses lead to different results.

ADHD affects 3 to 12 percent of children and teens in the United States. In up to 30 percent of patients the condition does not respond to prescription drugs, or the patients experience adverse effects such as nausea, insomnia, or weight loss from medications when they use them.

"For these reasons, many parents seek complementary or alternative medicine for their children with ADHD. Complementary or alternative medicine treatments used for pediatric ADHD include massage, dietary changes, dietary supplements, and herbal treatments. In the United States, the most common herbal treatments used by children with ADHD are St John's wort, Echinacea species, and Ginkgo biloba," the authors write.

The trial led by Wendy Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington and colleagues was meant to determine whether St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lessens the severity of ADHD in children and teens.

In the trial of 54 children and adolescents ages 6 to 17, Weber and colleagues randomly gave 27 subjects 300 mg of St. John's wort with 0.3 percent hypericin and another 27 a placebo three times a day for eight weeks. During the trial, other medications were not allowed.

No significant differences in ADHD rating scale scores were observed between the two groups from the start to the end of the 8-week study. Neither was there change in scores rating inattentiveness and hyperactivity in the proportion of subjects who experienced improvement.

But those assigned St. John's wort did not have higher incidents of rash, nausea/vomiting, headache, or sunburn during the trial compared to those who took a placebo.

"To our knowledge, this is the first placebo-controlled trial of H perforatum in children and adolescents. The results of this study suggest that administration of H perforatum has no additional benefit beyond that of placebo for treating symptoms of child and adolescent ADHD," the authors wrote.  

Because the size of the trial is small, more studies are needed to confirm the findings about the efficacy of St. John's wort on ADHD. The results of the study may be applicable to the dose used in this study. Effects of other dosages are still unknown.  

St John's wort has been used for centuries to treat mental disorders and nerve pain, malaria, wounds, and burns. Now the herb is used to treat depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

By Ben Wasserman, and edited by Heather Kelley.
Jun 10, 2008 - 4:38:49 PM