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With Folic Acid and B12

St John's Word contains 450 mg of a premium extract of St John's Wort standardized to 0.3% total hypericin, the amount associated with the support of a calm, positive mood and emotional well-being. This herb is then combined with folic acid and vitamin B12, nutrients that are postulated to play a role in the synthesis of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, memory, and learning.

Contains:

Vitamin B12(Cyanocobalamin) 250 mcg
Folic Acid 400 mcg
St. John's Wort Bud and Flowering Top Extract
(Hypericum perforatum)(contains a minimum of 0.3% hypericins) 450 mg

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

St. John’s Wort

What propelled St. John's wort to the status of superstar herbal antidepressant was a study published in the British Medical Journal in 1996. The study was entitled, "St. John's wort for depression--an overview and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. The reason it garnered such media attention was due to the fact that it was a meta-analysis. This means that it wasn't one
study. The authors thoroughly reviewed 23 previous studies published with this herb and pooled the results together. Most of these studies were published in foreign journals and in foreign languages, such as German, and thus had not attracted the attention of the mainstream American
media. St. John's wort was well-known in the alternative health field and countless articles had been published about it in a variety of alternative (or complimentary, as some wish to be called)
health magazines. This herb has been popular in Germany and many other European countries for years, prescribed more often than pharmaceutical antidepressants.

The objective of the researchers was, in their own words, "To investigate if extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) are more effective than placebo in the treatment of depression, are as effective as standard antidepressive treatment, and have fewer side effects than standard
antidepressant drugs."

The pooling of patients from 23 studies yielded 1757 patients with mainly mild or moderate depression. Fifteen of these studies were placebo-controlled, meaning that some patients were
given the herb and other patients were given a dummy pill. Neither group would know until the end of the study which of them was given the real medicine. Doing a placebo-controlled study is
essential in order to avoid the expectations and hopes patients feel when they are placed on a, medicine. In addition to these fifteen studies, eight others compared the effectiveness of this herb
compared to another antidepressant drug. For instance, one such study compared maprotiline (Ludiomil) to St. John's wort (Harrer, 1994). The effectiveness of the herb was similar to the drug.
Patients on maprotiline, however, complained of unpleasant side effects such as tiredness and dryness of mouth.

The overall interpretation of this meta-analysis showed that St. John's wort was significantly superior to placebo and was as effective as a pharmaceutical antidepressant-- and with much fewer
side effects. In fact, more than half of the patients on prescription antidepressant drugs reported side effects while less than 20 % of those on the herb did so. The researchers conclude, "There is
evidence that extracts of hypericum are more effective than placebo for the treatment of mild to moderately severe depressive disorders."

MOVANA benefits:

When taken consistently, MOVANA, the advanced St.
John's Wort supplement, can help balance emotions and
promote a feeling of well-being and maintain healthy
motivation and self-esteem. Recent scientific research has
identified hyperforin as one of the key ingredients of St.
John's Wort responsible for its effectiveness. Normally,
this component degrades rapidly and is found in varying
amounts in other St. John's Wort products. However, in
MOVANA, the hyperforin content is stabilized to ensure
potency and effectivenessn addition, the total extract in MOVANA is standardized to ensure consistency and effectiveness with each and every dose. MOVANA is safe and natural with no sedative effects.

Like all Pharmaton products, MOVANA's benefits are supported by
well-controlled clinical studies.
Maintaining healthy motivation and self-esteem In one study of emotionally affected subjects, the test group, using a standard
St. John's Wort Extract (SWE), showed significant improvement in activity, self-security, and elevated mood after six weeks of supplementation (reference 1).

In another study, MOVANA's hyperforin-rich extract was tested against a low-hyperforin formulation and against a placebo. After 42 days, only
MOVANA's hyperforin-rich extract significantly improved self-esteem (reference
5).

Supports a normal feeling of self-control After four weeks of SWE supplementation, subjects showed significant improvement versus placebo with respect to subjective ratings of self-control (references 2-4). In another test group, subjects who took MOVANA's hyperforin-rich SWE also showed significant complaint improvement versus placebo in as little as two weeks (reference 6).

Balances emotional and mood-changing chemical messages
Moods and emotions affect certain neurotransmitters. When they are produced in excess amounts due to stress or other factors, they can affect one's mental outlook. SWE has been shown to inhibit or block their emotion-altering effects, supporting maintenance of a normal mood. A recent study has shown that MOVANA plays a positive role in regulating the effects of these neurotransmitters on the emotional centers of the brain (reference 7). Many clinical reviews and news articles have acknowledged the effects of St. John’s Wort Extract (SWE) on people who experience undesirable mood and emotional changes. This has created a marketplace with over 50 different St. John’s Wort products for maintenance of healthy moods and emotional balance. However, as the reviews have mentioned, many questions remain on the importance of the various components of SWE.

New clinical insights into the nature of the benefits of St. John’s Wort Extract have led to the advanced SWE (WS-5572) found in MOVANA;. Studies have now confirmed that hyperforin is a key
component of St. John’s Wort, responsible for its effectiveness. Normally this component degrades rapidly after processing, but in MOVANA, the hyperforin content is stabilized to insure a guaranteed minimum amount of 3%.

Many healthy adults are concerned with maintaining self-esteem, emotional balance and normal mood, all of which can be affected by external life events or brought on by seasonal changes. SWE can, when properly used, help enhance and promote emotional well-being. Unlike many herbal supplements, a methodology for standardizing St. John’s Wort Extract has been accepted for some time, making possible controlled clinical studies. These are summarized in a recent meta-analysis on SWE. Although a pattern of activity appears,
precise measurements and consistency of activity are missing.¹

A possible reason for this lack of consistency lies in the fact that the extract in the studies was standardized around hypericin, just one of SWE’s many components. Although hypericin has traditionally been
considered the prime stable and active component, numerous studies fail to provide evidence that hypericin has any consistent effect.² Therefore the finding that hyperforin does have validated activity is significant.

In fact, now that hyperforin can be measured accurately, reanalysis of the products used in many of the previous clinical trials shows that they indeed contained significant levels of hyperforin. We must be reminded that the clinical supplies of the products in these studies were fresher than many of the products on store shelves and therefore hyperforin degradation may not have had a negative effect on the results.³


The nature of hyperforin

A recent discovery now allows for the stabilization of the hyperforin component within a standardized St. John’s Wort Extract that ensures consistency of effectiveness over time, and allows scientists and clinicians a better opportunity to research the mechanism of action for St. John’s Wort. This finding is so significant that hyperforin-rich SWE (WS-5572) has patents pending around the world.

It has been shown in many studies that SWE exhibits its effects by inhibiting reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are known to be responsible for modulation of emotions and moods that can be affected by many things. The pharmacological profile of these neurotransmitters has been seen in many in vitro and animal studies and recently in human pharmaco-EEG studies that monitor the effectiveness on brain wave activity.

In a series of experiments in which the main components of SWE were isolated and tested for effectiveness, it has been demonstrated that hyperforin is primarily responsible for inhibiting reuptake of
neurotransmitters.´ Hyperforin, however, is known to be the most unstable of all the SWE components. The next step was therefore to devise a means to stabilize the hyperforin content. The successful result is the extract found in MOVANA.

While hundreds of scientific and clinical studies on the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort Extract have been reported or published, this backgrounder focuses on those that substantiate structure/function effects of SWE through human pharmacology and evaluations from volunteers on mood and emotional balance.
Exhibit 1 summarizes previous clinical trials with a research grade of SWE (now known to have contained at least minimally effective levels of hyperforin). Exhibit 2 summarizes new clinical studies with an SWE (WS-5572) that contains a known, stabilized hyperforin component. Support is given in turn for each of the key labeling claims of MOVANA.

Maintaining healthy motivation and self-esteem St. John’s Wort Extracts have been shown in placebo-controlled studies to maintain healthy motivation and self-esteem, and prevent a loss of confidence.
Woelk et al. (1996) studied emotionally concerned subjects who rated themselves on parameters of activity, self-security, elevated mood and extroversion. The test group showed significant improvement in these
parameters with 300 mg of SWE 3 times per day after 6 weeks of supplementation.

More recently, Laakmann (1998) has tested MOVANA’s hyperforin-rich extract vs. a low-hyperforin formulation and placebo. The results showed that only the hyperforin-rich extract significantly improved measures of self- esteem (insight) and reduced the incidence of subject complaints (hypochondriasis) vs. placebo after 42 days of supplementation with 300 mg MOVANA 3 times per day.

Supports a normal feeling of self-control Total self-assessment scores of emotional complaints for subjects following SWE supplementation showed significant improvement with respect to subjective ratings on
self-control vs. placebo following 4 weeks of supplementation (Hansgen and Vesper, 1996; Hubner et al.,
1994; Lehrl et al., 1993). Using the MOVANA hyperforin-rich extract, Kalb et al. (1998) recently showed
significant subject- complaint improvement vs. placebo in as little as 2 weeks with 300 mg 3 times per day.

Balances emotional and mood-changing chemical "messengers" Moods and emotions affect certain neurotransmitters. When the production of these neurotransmitters is altered by stress or other factors, it can affect mental outlook. SWE has been shown to inhibit or block their emotion-altering effects, supporting maintenance of normal mood. Schellenberg et al. (1998) have recently shown that hyperforin-rich SWE plays a positive role in regulating the effects of these neurotransmitters on the emotional centers of the brain. It has also been shown that the effects exerted are like those of a psychostimulant rather than those of
sedative, hypnotic, or Prozac®-like compounds.

Safety of SWE

SWE has been shown in clinical trials and in postmarketing experience to be very safe. Woelk et al. (1994)5 documented 3250 patients over 4 weeks of treatment, with only 79 (2.4%) patients experiencing minor
effects, such as gastrointestinal symptoms, minor allergic reactions, unrest, or fatigue. De Smet and Nolan (1996) reported that, in 1994, 66 million daily doses of SWE had been consumed, with no significant side
effects.6
Researchers, however, do not currently recommend concomitant use of SWE with any prescription drug for depression. Furthermore, people who have sun- sensitive or fair skin are cautioned to avoid sun exposure
without protection, as photosensitivity can occur.
herb known to improve well-being and facilitate relaxation, kava has recently made headlines as the stress buster of the 90s. Traditionally used by Pacific Islanders as a calming potion during ritual ceremonies, kava is now becoming popular among Xers and Baby Boomers alike as they juggle fast-paced, often nerve-wrecking lifestyles. So popular, in fact, that even the Wall Street Journal has touted its tranquilizing effect.

In the late 1980s, German scientists began researching kava, conducting studies and doing the legwork required of a new herb on the block. By the end of the decade, the herb was approved by several
European boards as a treatment for anxiety. Now we know its soothing effects are due to kavalactones, the herb's active, calming chemical which has been known to treat everything from anxiety to menstrual cramps, muscle tension and insomnia. Some believe the herb, as a natural tranquilizer, will make pharmaceutical drugs that address anxiety obsolete. Others are more cautious. But although no serious side effects have turned up in controlled studies, it may be a good idea to have a kava talk with your doctor before turning to the calming potion on your own.