Ingredient profile
St. John's Wort in SonoVive: The Ingredient to Check With Your Pharmacist
St. John's wort is a flowering herb named in SonoVive and reported, unverified, as its largest ingredient at 250 mg per capsule. It was studied for depression, never for hearing. It can weaken birth control pills, warfarin, cyclosporine, some statins and antidepressants, so check your medicines with a pharmacist before taking SonoVive.
Written by the SonoVive editorial teamUpdated
The herb
What is St. John's wort?
St. John's wort is a yellow-flowered plant, Hypericum perforatum, sold mostly as a mood supplement.
People in the U.S. buy it for low mood and mild depression. That is also where nearly all of its research sits. It has no known role in the inner ear or in how the brain processes sound.
In SonoVive it appears on the brand's Inside SonoVive graphic as one of five named ingredients. The vendor gives no amount. Two sponsored articles list 250 mg per capsule. If that figure is right, St. John's wort outweighs every other ingredient, including the ginkgo that hearing supplements usually lead with.
Profile
How much St. John's wort is in SonoVive?
The vendor has not published the amount. The profile table sets what is known about it in SonoVive next to what research reports.
| Label name | St. John's Wort (named, no amount published) |
|---|---|
| What it is | Hypericum perforatum · Flowering herb |
| Position on the label | 2 of 5 (order as named in the brief and on the Inside SonoVive graphic; no Supplement Facts panel is published, so order by weight is unknown) |
| Amount on the label | Not published (250 mg reported, unverified) |
| What research has used | Depression trials, 35 studies; never studied for hearing |
| Strength of evidence | None for hearing |
| What it is sold for | A mood herb; reportedly the largest ingredient |
| Main caution | Weakens many medicines, including birth control, warfarin and antidepressants. |
The 250 mg figure appears only in sponsored articles. Read the Supplement Facts panel on your bottle for the real amount.
An odd fit
Why is St. John's wort in a hearing supplement?
The vendor does not explain. Its sales page lists the herb but makes no specific claim about it. None of the 28 links on its references list tests SonoVive itself.
One paper on that list is a 2016 review of St. John's wort for major depression. It pooled 35 trials with 6,993 patients. The herb did better than placebo for mild to moderate depression, with fewer side effects than some antidepressants. The authors still said the results should be read with caution (Apaydin 2016 SJW review).
No study has tested St. John's wort for ringing, even in people who also feel low. Counseling such as cognitive behavioral therapy, by contrast, is one of the tinnitus helps NIDCD lists (NIDCD tinnitus).
Evidence ladder
Does St. John's wort help tinnitus or hearing loss?
No study says so. On the ladder, the herb does not even get its own rung: it was never tested for hearing.
- Hearing aidsThe proven help for age-related loss
Hearing aids, including over-the-counter aids for adults with mild to moderate loss, are the standard treatment. (FDA OTC hearing aids)
- BacopaMemory trials, 12 weeks
Some gains in memory recall at 300-450 mg a day. Never tested for hearing. (Pase 2012 bacopa review)
- Huperzine A20 Alzheimer's trials
Some score gains, but poor study quality. Never tested for hearing. (Yang 2013 huperzine meta-analysis)
- GinkgoCochrane 2022: 12 tinnitus studies
Uncertain benefit; it may make little or no difference to how bad ringing feels. (Cochrane: Ginkgo for tinnitus 2022)
- VinpocetineCochrane: 3 dementia studies
Inconclusive, and FDA warns against it in pregnancy. (Cochrane vinpocetine)
- SonoViveNo study of the product
No trial of SonoVive for hearing, ringing or memory has been published. (FTC health products guidance)
Bar length shows how directly each line of evidence answers the question: will this help my hearing? It is our editorial summary of the linked sources, not a score from any study.
Drug interactions
Which medicines does St. John's wort interact with?
Many. NCCIH says St. John's wort can make a long list of medicines work less well, and can cause dangerous reactions with others (NCCIH St. John's wort). These are the ones most often taken by SonoVive's likely buyers.
| Medicine | What may happen | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Birth control pills | May work less well | Ask your prescriber before starting |
| Warfarin | May work less well | Talk to the clinic that checks your blood levels |
| Antidepressants such as amitriptyline or bupropion | May work less well | Ask the doctor who prescribes them |
| Drugs that raise serotonin | Serious serotonin-related side effects | Do not combine without medical advice |
| Cyclosporine | May work less well | Speak to your transplant or specialist team |
| Some statins | May work less well | Ask your pharmacist which statin you take |
If you take any prescription medicine, show the SonoVive bottle to your pharmacist before the first capsule. St. John's wort is the reason. Full lists are on the SonoVive side effects page and in our St. John's wort interactions guide.
Check your medicines, then decide30 capsules a bottle · $69 for one bottle · 60-day refund window
Order nowA real-life case
Can you take SonoVive if you are on an antidepressant?
Only after your prescriber says yes. Consider a 58-year-old teacher who takes an antidepressant and has a constant ring in her left ear. She sees SonoVive advertised and wants to try it.
Ring in one ear comes first
Ringing in only one ear is a reason to see a doctor, ideally an ear specialist, before any supplement (FDA OTC hearing aids).
Then the medicine question
Her antidepressant and St. John's wort may clash. Her prescriber can weigh that against the small chance of benefit.
Then a hearing test
If a hearing test finds loss, hearing aids can ease ringing too. NIDCD lists them among the proven helps (NIDCD tinnitus).
On its own
What are the side effects of St. John's wort?
Even without other medicines, St. John's wort can cause side effects. NCCIH lists these (NCCIH St. John's wort):
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Trouble sleeping and restlessness
- Tingling of the skin
- Severe skin reactions after sun exposure, at large doses
Poor sleep deserves a special mention. Ringing often feels louder in a quiet bedroom at night, so an ingredient that may disturb sleep works against what buyers want. Note your sleep in the first weeks. If it worsens, stop and tell your doctor.
Keep exploring
How does St. John's wort compare with SonoVive's other ingredients?
It is the only named ingredient studied mainly for mood, and the one with the widest list of drug clashes. Ginkgo biloba is the only one ever tested for tinnitus. Bacopa has the most memory research. Vinpocetine carries an FDA pregnancy warning, and huperzine A acts like a dementia drug. Compare all five on the SonoVive ingredients overview.
FAQ
St. John's wort in SonoVive: FAQ
Why does SonoVive contain St. John's wort?
The vendor does not say. St. John's wort is a mood herb studied for depression, not hearing. The sales page names it without a specific claim, and no study has tested it for tinnitus or hearing loss. Sponsored articles report it as the largest ingredient, at an unverified 250 mg per capsule.
Does St. John's wort make birth control less effective?
It can. NCCIH says St. John's wort can make birth control pills work less well. Anyone relying on the pill should talk with their prescriber before taking SonoVive. Women who could become pregnant have a second reason to ask, because FDA warns against vinpocetine, another named ingredient.
Can you take St. John's wort with blood thinners?
Not without medical advice. NCCIH lists warfarin among the medicines St. John's wort can weaken, which may change how well your blood is protected from clots. SonoVive also names ginkgo and vinpocetine, which may add to bleeding risk. Ask the clinic that manages your blood thinner first.
Is St. John's wort safe for older adults?
It can cause trouble for anyone taking several medicines, which includes many adults over 60. Besides the interactions, NCCIH lists diarrhea, dizziness, poor sleep, restlessness and skin tingling. Dizziness matters more when falls are a worry. A pharmacist can check it against your full list.
How much St. John's wort is in one SonoVive capsule?
The vendor has not published it. Two sponsored articles report 250 mg per capsule, but we could not confirm that number, and no image shows the Supplement Facts panel. The panel on your bottle is the only reliable source for the real amount.
Does St. John's wort interact with statins?
Some statins, yes. NCCIH says St. John's wort can make some of them work less well. Your pharmacist can tell you whether yours is one of them. Ask before you start SonoVive, rather than waiting until your next cholesterol test.
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Plain-language pages built from the bottle images, the vendor's sales and help pages and linked public health sources such as NIH, FDA and Cochrane.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by Sonovives, a USA authorized SonoVive retailer, not by the manufacturer. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
Keep reading
More about SonoVive
Side effects
Side effects of each SonoVive ingredient, the medicines St. John's wort can weaken, and who should not take it.
Read moreSt. John's wort interactions
Birth control, warfarin, statins, antidepressants: which medicines St. John's wort can weaken, and what to ask first.
Read more
Who it's for
A quick fit check for SonoVive: who might try it, who should ask first, and who should not take it.
Read moreUSA Authorized SonoVive Retailer
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