It matched SSRIs on response, and fewer people stopped taking it
Across 27 head-to-head trials in 3,808 people, response and remission rates matched those on SSRIs, the most widely prescribed antidepressant class. Every trial ran 4 to 12 weeks.
What the study found
Level with prescription antidepressants, with fewer people quitting
Matching a drug is only as impressive as the drug. Across 27 head-to-head trials in 3,808 people, response and remission rates on St John's Wort matched those on SSRIs, the most widely prescribed antidepressant class, and consistently fewer people stopped taking the herb.
The caveat · No trial ran past 12 weeks
Every trial ran between 4 and 12 weeks, so nothing here describes a year on either treatment. These are comparisons against antidepressants rather than against placebo, so the equivalence inherits whatever each trial's drug arm was worth. None of the trials was built to catch rare side effects.