Posted by Larry Hoover on June 12, 2004, at 17:13:10
In reply to Various forms of SJW, posted by Emme on June 11, 2004, at 9:12:09
> Hi All,
>
> I'm curious about what kinds of differences anyone might have noticed between kinds of SJW. Specifically, do the brands high in hyperforin (e.g. Perika) feel different from the ordinary 0.3% hypericum-standardized formulations?I'm going to presume that you meant 0.3% hypericin, not hypericum.
My personal experience was that Perika was too strong for me....it reminded me of an SSRI in many aspects. I am very med-sensitive, so I may not be a good model subject.
I prefer the "feel" of products standardized on hypericin, but it is hard to know what quality you're getting. The German products like Perika and Kira are standardized on both hypericin and hyperforin. That said, there are hundreds of chemicals in Hypericum (the plant), and you can't assume that each product will provide you with a similar distribution of those other, unstandardized, constituents. SJW extracts with all the hypericin and hyperforin removed still act as antidepressants. There's nothing at all wrong with taking two different products at the same time, so long as you match the total dose appropriately.
> Has anyone got any sense of how these might compare to tincture?
A tincture is a totally unknown and unknowable entity, unless it is standardized.
Some of the terminology of herbalism might be a little confusing, so bear with me for a minute. A decoction is made by boiling an herb in water. An infusion can be hot or cold, but it is made by pouring boiling or cold water over an herb. When you have a cup of tea, you're making an infusion. A tincture is like an infusion, but instead of water, it involves a different solvent, usually ethanol (drinking alcohol), but sometimes it is vinegar or glycerine. The thing is, you don't know how strong any of these products are without doing some really fancy tests.
When the companies are preparing Perika or Kira or any other standardized brand, they make a methanol or ethanol tincture, and boil it like for a decoction. They filter out the spent plant material, then dry off the solvent. Then they test the residue for active ingredients, and use those concentrations to prepare a standardized (concentration standardized) tablet or capsule or what have you. So, standardized products have tincture in their background, but work has been done to "calibrate" the dose.
> Thanks,
> EmmeYou're welcome.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:355675
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040418/msgs/356122.html