Hypericum Perforatum in the Treatment of ADHD Essay

Hypericum Perforatum in the Treatment of ADHD - Essay Example This study was to understand why parents seek alternative therapies and medication when stimulant medications are found to be effective in the treatment of ADHD Most of the herbal medicines in the US that may help in the ADHD treatment are from St John’s wort. Hypericum perforatum is a botanical name of an extract from St John’s Wort. It has been analyzed widely and alleged to treat depression in adults but the results brought out some mixed feeling. The same analysis was carried out on children with depression and the results showed that Hypericum perforatum plays a role in inhibiting reuptake of substances like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. This led to conduction of a test, which was a placebo-controlled test that was aimed at determining if the Hypericum perforatum was an effective alternative stimulant in reducing the severity of ADHD symptoms in children and adolescent by measuring it on an ADHD Rating Scale. The Office of Scientific and Ethical Review Board of Bastyr University approved the study placebo-controlled that was to be carried out on Hypericum perforatum for the treatment of ADHD. All equipment’s and facilities required for the trial was set in the Clinical research of the university. Patients were referred to the Bastyr University, Kenmore where the trial was to be done. The trial was scheduled between March 2005 and August 2006 and the participants that were eligible to be examined the trial was to be carried on children and adolescents of the age between 6-17 years old. They were to undergo a diagnostic and statistical test of mental disorders. The consents and assessment forms were served to the participants and their parents. Both the parents and participants were supposed to attend all the study visits and the participants were supposed to swallow pills.