Therapeutic and Toxicological Aspects of Biological Activity of Saint-John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Saint-John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) has been used in traditional medicine since timeimmemorial and it has its position also in the contemporary list of medicinal plants of pharmaceuticalimportance. Though it originally comes from Europe and Asia, it has been domesticated and,thanks to its properties, has been cultivated in many other parts of the world. The herbaceous plantcontains a wide spectrum of substances, out of which anthraglycosides, flavonoids, and floroglucinderivatives participate in principal pharmacological effects. In recent years this plant has becomegreatly popular as an effective alternative means for the treatment of weak to medium forms ofdepression. Large quantities of mass-produced drugs with its extract are sold mainly in the UnitedStates and Germany and successfully penetrate into the markets of other European countriesincluding the Czech Republic. Some adverse side-effects are also connected with the plant, the bestknown being photosensitivity, lesser known being its interactions with other drugs or foodstuffs.Thepresent review aims to process literary references concerning the biological activities of the plantand point out its most important therapeutic and toxicological aspects.

Keywords: Hypericum perforatum L.; pharmacology; depression; photosensitivity