There are a few pharmaceutical products used to treat smoking dependence. One relatively new medical trend is the use of anti-depressants to help people quit smoking. Anti-depressants are prescribed by physicians help people stop smoking because they help reduce some of the depression associated with nicotine withdrawal.

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the major producers of anti-depressants. Glaxo sells Zyban and Wellbutrin, both the same drug bupropion, Zyban being approved by the FDA under a different brand name for the indication of smoking cessation. These are part of the class of norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). Anti-depressants, as a broad pharmacological class, increase chemical levels in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin, that are thought to increase mood, the same way nicotine works. But anti-depressants are unfortunately associated with many negative side effects like nausea, tremor, a decreased sex drive, and fatigue, all the while showing limited efficacy due to treating just one of the difficulties associated with nicotine withdrawal.

The herb St. Johns Wort is a component in Quit Tea because of its properties as an anti-depressant and in helping reduce some of negative effects of nicotine withdrawal. St. Johns Wort has many pharmacological properties of an anti-depressants. One compound found in St. Johns Wort is hyperforin, which is most likely responsible for the anti-depressant effects. The hyperforin acts as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) like many anti-depressants. It is levels of serotonin in the brain are low, due to being absorbed too readily, that medical professionals have determined to cause depression.

The Cochorane Collaboration conducted a major review of St. Johns Wort that included over five thousand patients being treated for depression. A results from the Cochrane Collaboration study states. "the available evidence suggests that the hypericum extracts tested in the included trials a) are superior to placebo in patients with major depression; b) are similarly effective as standard antidepressants; and c) have fewer side effects than standard antidepressants."

The St. Johns Wort is Quit Tea will help increase mood and making quitting easier. It if recommended that if you are using Quit Tea as part of a smoking cessation program and are feeling any mild depression, to take St. Johns Wort in a capsule form concurrently with drinking the tea. Or you can look for Quit Support or any of the Quit Tea LLC supplementary products at http://www.quittea.com.