My 22-year-old son was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last year when he underwent surgery and had a small section of his bowel removed. He also has a depression problem and now wants to take St. John's wort to help. Could this herbal medication adversely affect his Crohn's disease?

C.J.

Over the last few years, there has been a tremendous increase in the use of herbal remedies to treat medical problems. However, only a handful of these products have been investigated in a controlled way to assess their healing properties and examine their potential for side effects and complications. Also, it is important to keep in mind that these herbal remedies are not controlled or regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to any significant degree.

Nevertheless, some herbal supplements have been found to be quite useful in treating some conditions. For example, St. John's wort has been found to be effective in the treatment of depression and is used by many patients with mood disorders. Still, doctors are only now starting to learn more about its interactions with other drugs. For example, recent studies have found that St. John's wort can interfere with the body's metabolism of birth control pills and drugs for HIV infections. In addition, little is known about the impact of St. John's wort on people suffering from other medical conditions in addition to depression. I am not aware of any information on how the herb may affect people with Crohn's disease.

Doctors generally advise patients to take as few medications as possible because even FDA-approved medications can sometimes cause life-threatening side effects. Your son should discuss the issue of taking St. John's wort with his doctor, making sure to tell him all the medications (prescription, over-the-counter and alternative) that he is taking or planning to take.