Hypericum, or to give it its other name, St Johns Wort is natural treatment for depression derived from a yellow flowering plant.

It can be an effective alternative to synthetic treatments such as Prozac.

I found a very informative website with loads of information about Hypericum, with links to other sites and a lot of beneficial information about the effects, causes and treatment of depression.

This quote is from the site, hypericum.com, it sums up Hypericum in a nutshell;

"Hypericum in a Nutshell

Here is the briefest possible summary of hypericum and the treatment of depression:

Hypericum is Hypericum Perforatum, also known as St. John's Wort (St. Johnthe Baptist, not the Beloved). It is a short, yellow-flowering,wild-growing plant — healing herb to some; troublesome weed to others. It has a 2,400-year history of safe and effective usage in folk, herbal, and ancient medicine. Hypericum was prescribed as medicine by Hippocrates himself.

A series of recent double-blind, placebo-controlled studies indicate that a specific extract of Hypericum perforatum was as effective as prescription antidepressants but had far fewer side effects (thus available without a prescription for the treatment of mild to moderate depression) and cost considerably less — about 25 cents a day.

In Germany, more than fifty percent of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders are treated with hypericum. Prozac has two percent.

Although many extracts are available containing St. John's Wort, only a handful (thus far—the gap will soon be filled by the free marketplace: Long live Milton Friedman!) of companies. These are listed in the section: How to Obtain Research-Grade Hypericum.

For more complete information on hypericum, you can read the complete text of the book Hypericum & Depression

All right. That's enough. You wanted this short.
Good bye.

Where to find National Institutes of Health tested St. Johns Wort
Copyright © 1996,1997 by Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. and Peter McWilliams"

Hypericum is widely available both on the internet or in your local health store.

As to the issue with sunshine, I found another website, the second link below which is well worth reading in it's entirety, this is what they say about Hypericum and the sun;

"The potential for phototoxicity should be kept in mind, however, if one has a prior hypersensitivity to sunlight, or if one is taking other photosensitizing drugs such as Chlorpromazine and Tetracyclines."

From what I have read I don't think sunshine would be a big problem, unless you are very sensitive to it anyway. I hope this helps.

Hypericum, or St. John’s wort, is a wild yellow flower that grows in the marshes of St. John's-worts. However, in this country, it is viewed as a weed used as a natural supplement for mood improvement. While it has been studied and tested over the course of the last 25 years, hypericum has not been empirically proven to have sustainable long-term effects in treating depression. Although it is noted that some scientific research suggests it has benefits for treating mild and moderate depressive symptoms in the short-term.

Opposing the effects of hypericum is a study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which stated that hypericum was a placebo in treating major depression. However, it concluded that it could be helpful in easing the effects of minor depression, feelings of loneliness and/or anxiety.

It should also be noted that hypericum has been known to cause allergic reactions, fatigue and restlessness with long-term use, increased blood pressure, increased sensitivity to the sun (especially if you are fair-skinned and taking large doses), and upset stomach.

Isn't used for depression ?