I believe one should take breaks from anything that is taken or done on a daily basis. Depending on the herb, strength and form used, sometimes it would be advisable to take a break after only 2 weeks of daily use. Many of the studies done with St. John s Wort for depression, report good results after 4 weeks of use. Herbs and aromatherapy can be used at the earliest signs of depression to prevent the situation from becoming serious. Generally, we find that the same herbs used for treatment can be used as a preventative.
Herbs usually give better results when taken in a tea or extract form.
Capsules are commonly used with some success but the best results are with teas and extracts. You can however get extract strength capsules which are very good. Often the dose on herbal preparations is very conservative. These doses are a good place to start and are plenty strong enough for more sensitive individuals. Others may have to increase their dose for the herb to be effective.