Laird Baldwin, a former resident of Vancouver, wrote the following, which I found interesting, especially from the viewpoint of the investigation he has done. (Reprinted with permission.)

Dear Heppers,

I learned quite a while ago that hypericin, a derivative of St. John's Wort, had shown strong anti-viral capabilities, so I tried some, with little effect. A year or two later (about four months ago) I learned that the extract was questionable, probably containing little hypericin, and that I had been taking far too little. I got in touch with some doctors in Israel, who are working with other doctors in Germany and New York. One of the docs in Israel, at the Weizman Institute, also works in the Department of Pathology at NYU. Here are extracts from the most recent letter he has sent me, as well as an excerpt from a 'pre- print':

"...there is abundant scientific information regarding the antiviral activities of hypericin, but none on our most recent clinical findings using hypericin calibrated preparations of St.

John's Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) in patients with hepatitis C. There is a preprint of a manuscript that we have just recently submitted to a hepatology journal, but I was not yet informed whether it was accepted for publication or not. (Mainstream medical journalsdon't like plant extract studies too much...) The medical doctor with whom we have been collaborating is Dr. Steinbeck-Klose in Bonn, Germany. Her telephone number, in case you might want to discuss this treatment with her, is 49-228-210551."

July 4, 1997 - My latest blood work is still far above normal (GGT: 106; AST: 162; ALT 270), but this report shows the second decline since I started taking fifteen capsules of hypericin per day. My enzyme levels have steadily been creeping up since I quit IFN several years ago and these are the first declines (ALT & AST had been in the 400 range before I started)Blurriness in my left eye has cleared up and I am feeling well, with no side effects noted. I found a "hypericin homepage" which mentioned Solaray Hypericin as being safely standardized. My first month I was only on Solaray, waiting for the Israeli stuff to come in the mail. The 2nd month I took mostly the Israeli hypericin. The stuff from Israel is much more expensive (over $100 per month, compared to < $50/month, Solaray) and the first month's results were better than the second (which might mean very little, except that both seem to work.) At any rate, I am going to try the Solaray for a few months and see how it goes, though I am very grateful to the Israeli docs for straightening me out on the dosage. Their product is probably superior - except I am not sure if it might break down a bit in shipping.

(Please contact Laird Baldwin, , or Joan Diemecke (250) 479-5290 for suggested hypericin dosages.)

Hypericin treatment of hepatitis C.

Editor's note: This is a summary of an article by A.M. Steinbeck-Klose, M.D:

Preparations from the plant Hypericum Perforatum (HY)were studied in patients with hepatitis C. HY prevents virus uncoating during de novo cell infection, inactivating lipid enveloped viruses. It inhibits Protein Kinase C activity. Nineteen patients took part in an uncontrolled open study, receiving daily oral Hypericum preparations equivalent to 0.04 - 0.06 mg/kg. Significant declines in HCV load were seen in 16 patients throughout follow-up periods of 4-22 months. Blood HCV converted negative and was no longer detected in three patients for follow- up periods of 5-6 months and in two more patients for 4 months (total responders 31.6%). No side effects were detected during treatment periods ongoing for 22 months. HY seems to be resilient to development of drug resistant mutants. Thus, Hypericum has the potential to emerge as an effective, inexpensive treatment for chronic hepatitis C.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Gad Lavie, Blood Transfusion Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel, Tel: 972-3-5303506

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure any hypericin you buy is standardized and tells you how much hypericin it contains.