For Immediate Release
October 2, 2006

BUFFALO, NY – Smokers who want a “natural” aid to help them stop smoking may be in luck. St. John’s Wort, a herbal agent, appears to be an effective adjunctive therapy for tobacco cessation, according to a pilot study led by Martin C. Mahoney, MD, PhD, Division of Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The results are published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2006): 14, 175-184.

The effectiveness of St. John’s Wort for the treatment of mild depression is well known, and its mode of action parallels that of buproprion, which has been shown to be effective in smoking cessation. However, since there have been no peer-reviewed reports evaluating St. John’s Wort for smoking cessation, the pilot study assessed the efficacy of St. John’s Wort by evaluating continuous abstinence rates 12 weeks after quitting and comparing these rates to those of published trials on buproprion.

After a baseline clinic exam, 24 eligible smokers between the ages of 18 and 65 began taking 450 mg of standardized St. John’s Wort twice a day one week before their set quit date. St. John’s Wort was continued throughout the 12-week follow-up period that also included eight telephone calls for counseling and clinic visits every three weeks to monitor depression and anxiety scales and weight, and for carbon monoxide testing to verify their smoking status.

At the end of 12 weeks, the quit rate was 37.5% (9 of 24). Further, St. John’sWort was generally well tolerated, compliance was high among participants, there were few side effects reported, and none of the quitters had a significant change in weight from their baseline exam.

“Although the results of this study are encouraging, a well-designed, randomized clinical trial will be needed to confirm if St. John’s Wort is effective as a treatment of nicotine dependence,” notes Dr. Mahoney. “If the results withstand such scrutiny, St. John’s Wort may represent a novel treatment to promote smoking cessation and serve as a reasonably priced, over-the-counter alternative to current pharmacotherapies.”

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

 

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