St. John's Wort Vs. 5-HTP

[creznor]

Hey guys. I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered.

Can someone please explain to me what the differences are between 5-HTP & St. John's Wort exactly? I keep hearing that 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, and thus puts more of it in your head, but doesn't St. John's Wort do the same thing by acting as a mild-SSRI? Don't they both put more serotonin in your head?

With that being said, which is better for treating social anxiety, in your experiences/knowledge? I don't know which of the herbs i'm going to buy yet, but i AM going to be taking it with l-theanine & valerian root when I do buy it.

Chris

p.s., feel free to add some herbal remedies that worked for you, or just your 2 cents on whatever.

 

[SilentType]

Neither products should be taken with intentions of finding a miracle cure. I've tried 5-HTP, but it had no effect on me. I've tried SSRI's also, to no effect. I wish I could answer your question..


Peace

 

[IceLad]

Hi crezor.

Neither 5-HTP or St John's Wort worked particularly well for me. Having said that though, I am in the process of giving the latter another try. I also find kava kava and passiflora to be effective at decreasing anxiety levels.

 

[livingnsilence]

Niether worked for me. However even though SJW didn't work it still gave me mild withdrawal after taking it for several weeks. I don't know much about how SJW works but 5 htp is only going to make you feel a little better either through developing a plecebo effect (other wise it isn't really working) or if your SA is caused by a defficancy of that particular aminoacid in your diet.