St. John’s Wort ‘a Worthless, Misbranded Drug’ Claims Class Action Lawsuit

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A Florida woman says California-based supplement company ProHealth duped consumers about the effectiveness of Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort Extract.  

Lead plaintiff, Carolina Gonzalez wants to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who she claims were tricked into buying “a worthless, misbranded drug.” She accuses ProHealth of false advertising and violating California consumer protection laws.  

Gonzalez says that she purchased ProHealth’s Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort Extract because it was advertised as helping those with mild to moderate depression and could help reduce her anxiety. However, these marketing claims were false, and ProHealth received a letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February warning the company that it was selling a misbranded drug in violation of federal law, claims the class action lawsuit.  

Allegedly, the FDA letter stated that ProHealth’s Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort Extract marketing claims gave consumers the impression that the product could help with depression and anxiety, despite “not generally recognized as safe and effective for [those] uses.”  

Further, the letter allegedly pointed out that depression and anxiety should be diagnosed and treated by a licensed practitioner, and “it is impossible to write adequate directions for a layperson to use your product safely for its intended purposes.” 

“Because the Product is a misbranded drug that is unlawful to sell, it is a worthless Product,” contends the class action lawsuit.  

St. John’s wort products have previously been at the center of legal action. This claim joins another St. John’s wort class action lawsuit filed a day earlier by the same lawyers on behalf of another plaintiff against Blossom Nature, LLC.  

In 2017, Whole Foods Market Inc. faced a class action lawsuit alleging it sold a St. John’s wort product that does not contain consistent amounts of the sole active ingredient. 

Later that year, another class action was filed against Now Health Group Inc, makers of the popular brand of NOW supplements and other natural products, alleging the company misled consumers regarding its St. John’s Wort pills. 

Gonzalez seeks to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased ProHealth’s Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort Extract, along with a California subclass. Gonzalez is seeking compensation on behalf of the Class for the money they spent on the allegedly worthless supplement, as well as a court order stopping the alleged false marketing of the St. John’s Wort product.  

Have you used Full Spectrum St. John’s Wort Extract? We want to hear from you! Tell us about your experience in the comment section below. 

The plaintiff is represented by Scott Edelsberg and Christopher Gold of Edelsberg Law, P.A. 

The St. John’s Wort False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Gonzalez v. ProHealth, Case No. 2:21-cv-04759 in the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California Western Division. 

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