The species of SJW that is used as an anti-depressant is Hypericum perforatum. It should not be taken with any other anti-depressant medication; if you are taking one you probably ought to ask your Dr. how long to wait between stopping that and starting another medication. Also, people interested in SJW should be aware that it cause photo-sensitivity, that is, if you take it you will become extra sensitive to sunlight. So please be careful.
As for the Wort/wert question, it's not an American thing at all! Actually wort is from Old English wyrt, meaning a plant or herb. There are lots of colloquial plant names that refer to worts, such as stitchwort, ragwort, figwort, etc. etc.
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