Evaluation of the efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) oil in the prevention of stricture due to esophageal corrosive burns

Background/purpose The inflammatory response that follows the caustic burns results in fibrosis on the esophageal wall leading to esophageal stricture, dysphagia, and malnutrition. The controversy over the use of corticosteroids warrants alternative therapeutic interventions. We investigated the effect of extracts from St. John’s wort (SJW) with known wound-healing activity on stricture formation in rat esophageal injury models.