Use of hypericum as antidepressant

The lumping together of use of medicinal herbs with all sorts of
other treatments under the title "complementary medicine" is misguiding
and annoying. These treatments are neither connected by philosophy nor by
treatment modus.

The use of medicinal herbs is the historical base of most of our
modern medicine and fits very well into the philosophocial framework of
the same. Medicinal herbs are still full of surprises and deserve
enthusiastical research. The view of some herbalists that whole plants are
always superior to single components is maybe a bit too much of a blanket
statement but should not stand in the way of responsible research and use.

Iridology, Homoeopathy, Magnetism and other similarly bizarre schemes
have nothing to do with scientific medicine and should be treated
accordingly.

The use of the all-covering term "complementary medicine" for all
these treatment forms is blocking research and ultimately progress in many
important medical areas. It should be abolished.