Objectives. There are approximately 400 Hypericum species that grow naturally in different geographic origins of the world. Those species have been used in different folk medicines and screened for their biological activity including cancer. Our country is an important place for Hypericum species which are known as “kantaron, binbirdelik otu, kan otu, kılıç otu, yaraotu, kuzukıran”. We therefor...

This article aims to summarize the current state of knowledge on St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) which is one of the oldest and best investigated medicinal herbs. Dried alcoholic extracts are the most important preparations on the market although a variety of other preparations are available. Depressive disorders according to modern diagnostic standards are the best known and most wid...

A plethora of plants belonging to the genus Hypericum have been investigated so far owing to the biological efficacies of pharmacologically important secondary metabolites produced by several Hypericum species. However, there is currently a dearth of information about the localization (accumulation) of these compounds in the plants in situ. In particular, the biosynthetic and ecological consequ...

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herbal remedy used widely for the treatment of depression. Recent clinical studies demonstrate that hypericum extracts increase the metabolism of various drugs, including combined oral contraceptives, cyclosporin, and indinavir. In this report, we show that hyperforin, a constituent of St. John's wort with antidepressant activity, is a potent ligand ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic interstitial lung disease caused by parenchymal lung damage due to inflammatory factors and fibrosis. Hypericum perforatum contains various flavonoids with antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate protective effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Hypericum against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. METHODS: This empi...

Purpose. The present study evaluated the effect of Hypericum perforatum dry extract in an experimental model of binge eating (BE). Methods. BE for highly palatable food (HPF) was evoked in female rats by three 8-day cycles of food restriction/re-feeding and acute stress on the test day (day 25). Stress was induced by preventing access to HPF for 15 min, while rats were able to see and smell it....

BACKGROUND One of the acquired biological hallmarks of tumor multistep development is the resistance of cancer cells to apoptosis; therefore, induction of apoptosis is an important therapeutic approach. Hypericum species are spread throughout the world and have been investigated for their biological properties. OBJECTIVES Our previous studies had demonstrated cytotoxicity of Hypericum scabrum...

The Iowa Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements seeks to optimize Echinacea, Hypericum, and Prunella botanical supplements for human-health benefit, emphasizing antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti-pain activities. This mini-review reports on ongoing studies on Hypericum. The Center uses the genetically diverse, well-documented Hypericum populations collected and maintained at th...

Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John’s Wort, has been found to exhibit many medicinal, especially anti-depressant, properties. Hypericin is thought to be the main chemical constituent responsible for H. perforatum’s medicinal properties. We report here the ability of H. perforatum and hypericin to inhibit the growth of mouse mammary cancer CRL2539 cells. H. perforatum, at concentrat...