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Bill Hipp asked: Has anyone tried st johnwort herb, I remember reading that it increased >dopamine in the brain. Before starting sinemet & amantidine a yr or two >ago I tried the herb & got a energizing, alertness response. My local health food store was promoting a natural remedy marketed as "Phytoproz" last summer, supposedly mimicing prozac but totally herbal, main ingredient is St. John's Wort. I tried to research this on my own with limited success, but a friend of mine who is a pharmacist finally produced a fairly detailed article describing its action physiologically as an MAO inhibitor. The article didn't describe what kind of MAO inhibitor , A or B, so I felt uncomfortable experimenting with it. (This from the woman who used to eat bovine pancreas tissue in a desperate effort to feel normal before I was diagnosed) Considering the dangers associated with demerol because of its MAO inhibiting properties, I think you should be careful with St. John's Wort until someone can clear up how it acts in the brain. My 2 cents, Kathie Tollifson [log in to unmask]