1544 readers from a Consumer Reports survey judged that medication and talk therapy are equally as effective for the treatment of these conditions anxiety and depression. However, you can expect side effects from antidepressant medications, and you can expect long-term benefits from talk therapy. Take your pick.
Recently, the Journal of Psychopharmacology released a study of St. John’s Wort for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. What they found is that St John’s wort (900mg/day) is as OR MORE effective than medication WITHOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS. In addition, in the clinic I have found that 900mg of St. John’s Wort daily works quite well for patients with mild to moderate depression (note that it usually takes six weeks before the full effect is noticed).