The product we sell, imported from Germany, contains
the special formula LI 160 (used in most European clinicical trials), the
only formula proven in 23 clinical studies to maintain a healthy emotional balance. This
product from Lichtwer Pharma, is manufactured through a standardized, pharmaceutical-grade
process so you're guaranteed a consistent dose in every single tablet. It is as effective
as most hard anti depressant drugs such as Prozac®
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Why is clinical proof important?
Clinical studies are a means of testing herbal supplements like this to judge their
effectiveness. LI 160 formula has been the most widely tested in independent clinical
studies. The findings have been reported in medical journals and have confirmed that it is
safe and effective in helping people maintain a healthy emotional balance and well-being.
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What can I expect after taking LI 160 for two to four
weeks?
If you're like most people, this products gentle effect can help your perspective,
renew your confidence, and allow a comfortable level of control in your life to help get
you back on track.
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Why is it important to follow dosage instructions so
closely?
To get the same results that were achieved during clinical tests, you should take LI
160 as recommended. Allow time for it to work. Clinical results were observed after a
period of two to four weeks during which time one tablet was taken
three times a day.
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Is LI 160 for everybody?
It is not for everybody. Everybody experiences lifes ups and downs but, if its been
taking you longer to bounce back and feel like your old self again, LI 160 might help. It
is not a Magic pill, but clinical studies have proven that, when taken as directed, it can
help you regain control in your life and help maintain a healthy emotional balance.
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How safe is this product?
LI 160 is non-habit forming, has no sedative effects, does not interact with alcohol or
caffeine, and has no known interactions with prescription drugs.
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Is LI 160 an MAO Inhibitor?
No. Although it was formerly believed that St. John's wort worked much like an
inhibitor of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO), more recent investigations into the
mechanism of action of St. John's wort have revealed that it does not operate like an MAO
inhibitor but rather inhibits the re- uptake of the brain's chemical messengers
serotonin,
norepmephrine and dopamine at the endings of nerve fibers.
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An Editorial from the Journal Of Geriatric
Psychiatry and Neurology, Volume 7, Supplement 1
"As an extra feature this month, readers of the Journal of Geriatric
Psychiatry and Neurology are receiving this Supplement that outlines some very
exciting reports on a new pharmaceutical agent. Until 3 months ago, I had never heard of
hypericum, but in reviewing these papers and other literature, I have been impressed with
the potential of this compound as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of mild-to-moderate
depressive illnesses, the kind of depressions that predominate in outpatient medical
practices.
What is hypericum, or St. John's wort as it is often called? It is a preparation
derived from a plant that has been used as a natural remedy since ancient times. Hypericum
perforatum L. is a member of the Hypericaceae family, and the German name
"Johanniskraut" is derived from its blossom time around St. John's Day, the 24th
day of June. External use of the red oil obtained from hypericum blooms has been reported
to promote wound healing in burns. For internal administration, tea preparations from the
leaves or ready-prepared extracts are used to treat mild states of excitation and
depressed mood. An interesting paper in this Supplement indicates that hypericum is as
effective as light therapy as a treatment for seasonal affective disorders. It is unknown
which of the many substances found in hypericum blooms are the active ones, but it is
presumed that hypericin and pseudohypericin are probably involved in its therapeutic
effects.
Antidepressant effects of hypericum have been confirmed in several clinical studies
that have compared this compound to placebo as well as standard antidepressants such as
imipramine and maprotiline. One of the most important features is that side effects are
rarely observed. Allergic reactions occur rarely. This benign side effect profile may make
hypericum a particularly attractive choice for treating mild-to-moderate depressions in
our elderly patients.
As this series of papers points out, the underlying pharmacologic mechanism of action
of hypericum remains unclear. Since it is presumed that depression is associated with
changes in levels of neurotransmitters, particularly noradrenaline and serotonin, an
action on neurotransmitter metabolism through inhibition of the enzymes principally
involved in central catabolism of the catecholamines, including monoamine oxidase (MAO)
and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), is conceivable: at least one early study
demonstrated that hypericum inhibited MAO-A and MAO-B. Unfortunately, these findings could
not be confirmed and later studies (see Thiede and Walper as well as Bladt and Wagner in
the Supplement) indicate that the amount of inhibition is probably not sufficient to
explain the antidepressant effect of hypericum.
Since the active components of hypericum do not seem able to pass the blood-brain
barrier, it is hypothesized that their primary site of action must lie outside the central
nervous system, and that effects could be brought about by mediators capable of passing
into cerebrospinal fluid. Thiele, Brink, and Ploch feel that actions on cells of the
immune system, such as lymphocytes and monocytes, would be likely. They discuss modulation
of cytokine expression and secondary activating effects on CRH (corticotropin releasing
hormone) by hypericum extract as a possible mechanism of antidepressant action. CRH has
been assigned a central role in recent models of the pathogenesis of various forms of
depression associated with elevated levels of this hypothalamic peptide. An oversecretion
of hypothalamic CRH can be demonstrated in patients with depression, together with an
increased concentration of CRH in the cerebrospinal fluid. In addition, the number of
central CRH receptors is reduced in depression.
Hypericum extracts produce reduction in serotonin receptor expression on cell surfaces
in certain models (see Muller and Rossol). These authors feel that the reduced
availability of serotonin receptors under the influence of hypericum and resulting
impaired reuptake ability of the neurotransmitter serotonin into the cells may represent
another possible mechanism of the antidepressant activity of hypericum extract. They point
out that unlike classic antidepressants, which bind the neurotransmitter, hypericum
extract might "block" the entry point, leading to an increased level of
neurotransmitter and, therefore, an antidepressant effect.
While the precise mechanism of action remains to be determined, the results of the many
studies outlined in this Supplement form an impressive body of evidence indicating that
hypericum may well be a potentially useful agent to treat mild-to-moderate depressions.
"
Michael A. Jenike, MD
To order a copy of this supplement call toll free 1-800-568-7281. These are
scientific papers.
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"Very interestingly, the situation in Germany is
different. As an alternative to the tricyclics with a low side effect profile, german
doctors prescribe high-dosage Hypericum extract preparations with increasing tendency.
Right now, these Hypericum extract preparations (tablets based on dried extract of St.
Johns wort) make up more than 25% of all prescriptions filled out in Germany for
antidepressant drugs. The
leading brand (Jarsin 300 also known as LI 160 or Kira For the
US market) is presently the mostly prescribed single antidepressant in Germany (It is also
the brand we import and offer for sale to you ), The frequent use
of Hypericurn extract preparations faced important scepticims and many pharmacologists and
psychiatrists felt that depressed patients are treated with drugs, which are not yet
sufficiently investigated. This criticism, already formulated a few years ago, led to the
initiation of a rather rigorous research program, dealing with preclinical and clinical
aspects of the efficacy of Hypericum extract as an antidepressant drug. The first results
have been presented at an international meeting, in Munich on September 1996.
Even though research is still going on, the available data show
that Hypericurn extract is clinically effective as an antidepressant drug and
that it probably works by biochemical mechanisms not so much different from the mechanisms
of action of the tricyclics or the SSRI's. We feel that these findings are important
enough to be communicated and interesting enough to stimulate further research".
Walter E. Muller
Frankfurt Siegfried Kasper. Vienna
The proceedings of this meeting are summarized in the supplement.
Pharmacopsychiat. 30 (1997) (Supplement) 71 C Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart - New York
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The Herbal Way To Feel good.
To order this book, which is highly recommended and is just $16.80, just click on the
image.
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