The Pharmaceutical Companies

The testing of any medicine, herbal or man made, costs a lot of money. A pharmaceutical company is no different than any other company insofar as the main goal is probably to make a profit. Spending, let’s say, $400,000 to test Prozac during its onset, is what anyone would call a good investment. The reason is this; anti-depressants such as Prozac are patented. They cannot be sold generically. The pharmaceutical company that makes Prozac can charge whatever they want for it. Same with the Pharmaceutical Company that makes Zoloft. We’re talking over $100.00 a bottle. We know its going to do well, depression is big. So the $400.000 investment for Prozac testing is very wise from a business standpoint, not only have they made their money back, they have made a huge profit.

Now let’s take that same $400.000 and test St Johns Wort. We know, as you will see on this site and many others that in Europe, St Johns and other supplements have been tested and proven to be as effective as Prozac and Zoloft with fewer side effects. St Johns Wort however, cannot be patented, it's a plant. When converted into supplements, St Johns sell for about $8.00 a bottle. If I was a pharmaceutical business man I would opt for the Prozac testing. In fact, not only would I opt for the Prozac testing, if I was unscrupulous, I might do whatever I could to keep the public from knowing about the $8.00 alternative. It's good for the bottom line.

Why Most U.S Doctors Won't prescribe herbs

Lack of herbal testing, it seems to me, would make doctors reluctant to prescribe herbs for depression. A doctor is probably not going to prescribe something that has not been scientifically proven through testing. Prozac and such have been proven to be effective however with unwanted side effects. Herbs have not been proven to be effective here in the States. Even though studies in Europe have demonstrated that certain herbs are as equally effective as Prozac, if the herbs are not tested in the U.S. the F.D.A. won't regulate the quality and therefore, doctors will not prescribe them.

Are unregulated supplements dangerous or ineffective?

They can be both ineffective, and sometimes, but rarely, dangerous. Go with a quality supplement, one with a name you trust. And research the company on the internet.

• Tryptophan was banned in 1989 due to a contaminated batch caused by a new manufacturing process from a Japanese company. Tryptophan is no longer available in the U.S. after that incident due to many people falling ill from the bad batch. The Tryptophan didn’t harm them, the contaminant did. Hmmm, should we ban cars due to bad electrical engineering on the Pontiac Fiero that caused electrical fires?
• The Los Angeles Times Testing concluded that "Sundown Herbs" makes a batch of St Johns Wort that has only a small percentage of "hypericum" the active ingredient in St Johns Wort. See My St Johns Wort Links to see who tested the best.

Who are you and why should we take your advice?

Heh, probably a wise question! I am someone with absolutely no qualifications as a health practitioner. In fact I have only taken one botany class in my life. I am a layman. I have compiled this information based on my research and personal experience. I have found these herbs to be effective and also have had check ups by a doctor to verify that my health is fine. I enjoy having no side effects from these herbs and want to spread my feelings on these herbs along with the politics of prescription anti-depressants to as many people as possible. Thanks for looking at my site!

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