St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herb native to Europe and Asia [*]. It has been used in traditional medicine throughout Europe, and used by the ancient Greeks [*]. Today, it is a popular herbal remedy with purported antianxiety effects. 

This plant was named St. John’s Wort because it starts to flower around the time that St. John the Baptist Day is celebrated [*].

In traditional medicine, St. John’s Wort was used to relive stress, insomnia, and heal wounds [*].  St. John’s Wort contains a variety of compounds with health promoting effects. It contains naphthodiathrones (e.g. hypericin), phloroglucinols (e.g. hyperforin), flavonoids (e.g.  phenylpropanes, flavonol glycosides, and biflavones), and essential oils [*].

St. John’s Wort has also been reported to have, anti-inflammatory [*], antimicrobial [*], antioxidant [*], and neuroprotective effects [*].

Due to the many purported health benefits of St. John’s Wort, it is a common ingredient in many dietary supplements. It is sold as a single ingredient or part of a blend. Products containing St. John’s Wort claim to support emotional health, relaxation, and stress relief. 

The popularity of St. John’s Wort has led to hundreds of brands flooding the marketplace; however not all supplements are created equal! Unfortunately, more than 90% of supplements in the market simply DON’T WORK!

We understand the challenges in finding the right supplement for your health needs. That’s why we gathered years of research and made this guide to help you find the top-rated formulas that work for you.

Things To Be Cautious About

Has your brand been third-party tested? You should never buy supplements that don’t have Certificate of Analysis. The studies should be conducted in labs that are not affiliated with the manufacturer. These labs verify the product for safety and potency.

Does your St. John’s Wort contain cheap synthetic fillers? Some brands add artificial fillers to cut cost to offer cheap products. Some of these cheap fillers we found were titanium dioxide and artificial coloring. You should never purchase cheap products when it comes to supplements.

No return policy or customer service – A reputable supplement company will offer 100% money-back guarantee policy and provide customer support through phone number and email. We noticed many formulas out there are just copies of the top-rated brands. They don’t offer an easy refund policy or don’t even have a phone number to prove they are real.

Top 5 St. John’s Wort Supplements

The result: we reviewed over 100+ brands of St. John’s Wort Supplements in the market and complied a list of top 5 formulas based on effectiveness, safety, pricing, return policy, and overall customer satisfaction.

1. PureNature Cognifen

  • Shipping & Return Policy 100% 100%
  • Customer Service 99% 99%
  • Essential Ingredients 99% 99%
  • Effectiveness 98% 98%

Note: we test purchased this product. We can confirm on-time delivery, reliability and quality product from this brand.

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

2. Life Extention Neuro-Mag

  • Shipping & Return Policy 97% 97%
  • Customer Service 97% 97%
  • Essential Ingredients 96% 96%
  • Effectiveness 97% 97%

Note: we test purchased this product. We can confirm on-time delivery, reliability and quality product from this brand.

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

3. Swanson St. John’s Wort

  • Shipping & Return Policy 97% 97%
  • Customer Service 95% 95%
  • Essential Ingredients 94% 94%
  • Effectiveness 95% 95%

Note: we test purchased this product. We can confirm on-time delivery, reliability and quality product from this brand.

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

4. Nature’s Way St. John’s Wort

  • Shipping & Return Policy 95% 95%
  • Customer Service 95% 95%
  • Essential Ingredients 96% 96%
  • Effectiveness 94% 94%

Note: we test purchased this product. We can confirm on-time delivery, reliability and quality product from this brand.

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

5. Source Naturals St. John’s Positive Thoughts

  • Shipping & Return Policy 95% 95%
  • Customer Service 94% 94%
  • Essential Ingredients 97% 97%
  • Effectiveness 94% 94%

Note: we test purchased this product. We can confirm on-time delivery, reliability and quality product from this brand.

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

Ranking Factors

Shipping & Return Policy: we check the shipping and return policy of each recommended product to make sure these brands stand behind their products.

Customer Service: we contact the top rated brands through email, chat or phone to make sure they are responsive and can answer potential questions customers might have.

Essential Ingredients: we verify the ingredients in every top rated brands, their safety and dosage amount in comparison with the latest scientific studies.

Overall Effectiveness: we check with real customers through their reviews and testimonials to make sure the top brands are as effective as they claim to be. We recommend the top 5 formulas based on their average score.

We highly recommend our reader to do their own research, read real reviews and contact any brands directly to make sure they can provide the products and services based on their needs.

1. PureNature Cognifen

  • Shipping & Return Policy 100% 100%
  • Customer Service 99% 99%
  • Essential Ingredients 99% 99%
  • Effectiveness 98% 98%

*This is a subjective assessment based on the strength of the available information and our independent research and customer feedback. Results may vary based on individual.

Disclosure of Material Connection: we only recommend products and services which we believe will add value to the users. However, you should assume the owner of this website and/or blog has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection, to any suppliers of goods and services that may be discussed here and may be compensated for showing ads or recommending products or services or linking to the supplier’s website.

Sources and Citations

1. St. John’s Wort https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557465/
2. St. John’s Wort Background https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/st-johns-wort
3. Chapter 11 Medical Attributes of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92750/
4. Anti-inflammatory actions of St. John’s wort https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12954801/
5. Extracts from St John’s Wort and… https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15103670/
6. Antioxidant activity relationship of phenolic compounds in Hypericum perforatum https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132159/
7. Neuroprotective Activity of Hypericum perforatum and Its Major Components https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939296/