Herbal remedies have been used throughout the world for thousands of years, and recently their use has become popular in America. People tend to consider herbal remedies safer than prescription drugs because they are not believed to contain chemicals or cause side effects. St. John's wort is an herbal remedy that prevents the destruction of seratonin, a natural antidepressant, often used to treat depression. Due to the growing interest in St. John's wort, as well as other herbal remedies, there has been a lot of research recently conducted on the effectiveness and safety of this herb when it comes to depression. Depression is a mental illness that affects millions of people. of Americans every year. There are now many prescription medications, called antidepressants, that have been shown to treat it successfully. The causes of depression are somewhat of a medical enigma, however it is known that depression is associated with a change in brain chemistry involving neurotransmitter function (Reichert). This chemical change occurs in the healthy brain, which experiences sadness, but ends after the unpleasant stimulus is removed. In people suffering from depression this chemical change does not correspond to any particular stimulus. Symptoms of depression are often disabling and include severe and extensive sadness, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of emptiness, irritability, and anxiety (Reichert, Spake). The first major study conducted on the topic in the United States found that St. John's Wort had negligible benefits. on patients with major depression without statistically significant benefits superior to those produced by a placebo (Shelton). However, other studies have “proved” not only that St. John's Wort is more successful in treating patients with depression, but that it is actually as or more effective than some prescription tricyclic antidepressants (Linde). The apparent contradictions in research findings create confusion and provide little help to the patient or doctor in deciding whether to use St. John's wort as a treatment for depression. One reason there is so much confusion is the lack of involvement from the federal Food and Drug Administration. Pharmaceutical administrations in herbal remedies. The Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994 placed herbal remedies in the category of dietary supplements. This means that these herbal remedies are not subjected to the same type of testing as over-the-counter or prescription drugs (USFDA). Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Producers Association, said that testing of these products is not necessary because "these products are proven by years and years of use"”.