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Benefits |
Preparation |
Medicinal Uses |
Side Effects |
Plant |
Folklore |
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| Common Names |
| St. John's Wort , |
| Botanical Name |
| Hypericum perforatum |
| Family |
| HYPERICACEAE |
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St. Johns Wort has a demonstrated ability to act as an antidepressant in both humans and animals. It is this use that garners most of the media attention, but this versatile herb also has dozens of chemical compounds that disinfect and heal wounds as well. St. John's Wort is really a tonic, or overall health booster for the entire nervous system. |
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Prep Methods :tinctures, capsules, oil infusions, teas
 Remedies using St. John's Wort
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| Depression, SAD | | Thanks to phytochemicals such as hyperforin and hypericin St. John's wort helps brighten the moods of people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. It also helps people out of the winter doldrums, a syndrom called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), although it is less effective against the up-and-down mood swings of bipolar depression. 429
(Duke, James A, Ph.D. ) | | Depression, incontinence | | St. Johns wort is used in hysteria and nervous depression . For children troubled with incontinence of urine at night, an infusion or tea of St.Johns wort given before retiring will be found effectual ..St. John's wort is used in all pulmonary complaints, bladder troubles, in suppression of the urine, dysentery, worms, and dirarrhea. 430
(Grieve, Maude ) | | Herpes lesions | | St. John's can be used in several ways to fight herpes, internally in capsules, tea, or tincture, or externally in compresses made from tea. You can also apply the infused oil or tincture to active lesions. 591
(White,Linda B., M.D. ) | | Influenza A | | According to studies, it can inhibit influenza A viruses and parinfluenza virus, which produces flu-like symptoms, but not cold viruses... 1131
(White,Linda B., M.D. ) | | Rheumatism and gout | | The original uses of this versatile plant, before it became popular as a natural anti-depressant however, were treating rheumatism and gout. Herbal oils infused with fresh St. John's wort are anti-inflammatory and analgesic. 893
| | PMS, breast tenderness | | St. John's wort oil, gently stroked onto aching breasts, penetrates the nerve endings and relieves pain. 1189
(Weed, Susan ) | | Fibromyalgia, muscle aches | | St. John's Wort tincture (not capsules, not tea) is a superb muscle relaxer. A 25-30 drop dose not only stops, but prevents muscle aches. 1195
(Weed, Susan ) | | Neuralgia, sciatica, burns | | The oil, extracted by macerating the flowers in vegetable oil, is excellent applied externally for neuralgia and can ease the pain of sciatica. This oil is also soothing for burns since it lowers the temperature of the skin and it is said to heal gastritis and stomach ulcers. 1302
(Mabry, Richard p67) |
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| Side Effects: |
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| St. Johns can alter the physiologic impact of MAOIs and SSRIs. |
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 A herbaceous perennial found growing freely in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America. Star shaped, cheery yellow flowers in terminal corymb bloom June to August, around St. John's Day in the Christian calendar, giving rise to the name. The flowers and leaves are covered with tiny black dots, each containing hypericin, a medically active compound that is often visible as a red stain on the skin after rubbing the flowers between the fingers. James Duke writes "It's classified as a wild weed that some people, including the USDA think should be eradicated. Others think it is one of the finest depression-fighting medicines humanity has ever seen (or synthesized.)" A plant is seen as a weed only when we cannot recognize its useful purpose.
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 St John's wort is effective as a compress for dressing wounds. In the Middle Ages it was commonly used to heal deep sword cuts. |
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 It is under the celestial sign Leo, and the dominion of the Sun. It may be, if you meet a Papist, he will tell you, especially if he be a lawyer, that St. John made it over to him by a letter of attorney. It is a singular wound herb; boiled in wine and drank, it heals inward hurts or bruises; made into an ointment, it open obstructions, dissolves swellings, and closes up the lips of wounds Nicholas Culpeper |
 There are many ancient superstitions regarding this herb. Its name hypercum is derived from the Greek that means 'over an apparition', a reference to the belief that the herb was so obnoxious to evil spirits that a whiff of it would cause them to fly. If you pinch the leaves or the petals they give out a reddish purple stain- the "blood of St. John". Keeping this herb in your garden will protect you from fairy trickery. Carrying a few stems of the foliage was an old way to avoid being "fairy-led", or lost and confused while wandering through the local enchanted forest. |
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Annies Remedys
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