Herbal remedy same as placebo for ADHD
- Published: 12 June 2008 09:46
- Author: Steve Ford
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- Last Updated: 12 June 2008 09:46
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St John's Wort is not an effective treatment for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, despite being regularly used as an alternative therapy for the condition, according to latest research.
US researchers compared St Johns' Wort, Hypericum perforatum, against placebo in 54 children, aged six to 17, with ADHD. Subjects received one of the interventions three times daily for eight weeks.
The researhers found no significant differences between the two groups in AHHD score ratings.
'To our knowledge, this is the first placebo-controlled trial of Hypericum perforatum in children and adolescents. The results of this study suggest that administration of H perforatum has no additional benefit beyond that of placebo for treating symptoms of child and adolescent ADHD,' the authors write.
Journal of the American Medical Association (2008) 299:2633-2641
