St John's wort has little effect in ADHD

Children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were treated with the herb St John's wort did not have any greater improvement in ADHD symptoms compared to those who received placebo, according to a study in the June 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

ADHD affects 3% to 12% of children in the USA. Up to 30% of these children do not respond to pharmaceutical medications or have adverse effects such as nausea, insomnia, or weight loss from the medications, according to background information in the article.

"For these reasons, many parents seek complementary or alternative medicine for their children with ADHD. Complementary or alternative medicine treatments used for pediatric ADHD include massage, dietary changes, dietary supplements and herbal treatments. In the USA, the most common herbal treatments used by children with ADHD are St John's wort, Echinacea species, and Ginkgo biloba," the authors write.