Actually the topical treatment of herbs can be far superior to the internal effects. I tried an internal tincture of St John's Wort a few years ago and like you Joe, it made me feel really weird and I also experienced photosensitivity. I gave it the flick until I developed Shingles a few years ago. I recalled from my herbal studies that Hypericum works well as an external agent. I mixed some St John's wort oil with some Calendula and Goldenseal and experienced the most amazing pain relief. In fact, a few months ago I attended a Herbal seminar, where the speaker who is a very well known author of herbal texts here in Australia suggested that he gets much better results from using St John's Wort as a topical treatment for neuralgic disorders rather than an internal treatment for depression. He preferred herbs such a Jamacian dogwood and Passiflora for depressed conditions.

Cheers from Rachie