Severe depression, stomach ulcers and pneumonia are no simple colds. If you are "really" sick, you can get normal medication in Germany. In addition, many harmless drugs are also available over the counter (ibuprofen, for example). In the example of your friend, a doctor apparently messed up and did not recognize the seriousness of the situation.This is of course very sad, but not the normal case.

But that's not what this meme was aiming at. It's about a simple cold.

The joke is that simple illnesses in the U.S. are often pushed down with painkillers so that you can go to work. The body is not allowed the time to recover normally.

Entschuldigt bitte auch hier die Verwendung der angelsächsischen Sprache.

Schnupfen ist keine Angststörung und auch kein Magengeschwür.

I hate to tell you, but St. Johns Wort is used for actual medication, your friend wasn't prescribed some 'herbal tea' the plant is known to be an incredibly low risk treatment for anxiety and light forms of depression, side effects are very rare, but due to the way it might interact with other types of medication it can only be sold through a pharmacy.

This is in no means an attempt to undermine your experience, but what most likely happened is that your friends doctor was at fault, he should have been aware of any other health risks, or at the very least should have asked before prescribing the medication, and should have stopped the treatment the second symptoms for stomach related illnesses started appearing.

St. John's Wort can be proper medication for at least moderate depression and anxiety, it depends on the dosage. If it is simple pills from a supplement store, they they wont do anything. If it is a highly concentrated extract that you need a prescription for in Germany, it will work wonders. I know because I take it to combat the anxiety and depression caused by getting medical complications.

St John's Wort at high extract doseages can ease severe depression without the sides of Citalopram, but it wont make the symptoms disappear completely.

Now it has taken an half hour to translate in german, for me.