St. John’s Wort

By Diane Abernathy

St. John’s wort or hypericum (Hypericum perforatum) is a wonderful weed-herb that has shared mankind’s history in magic, medicine and lore. In the Middle Ages it was considered a plant of magic and protection. In order to invoke the magic, it was important that it be picked on St. John’s Day, June 24, the traditional feast day of St. John the Baptist. It’s history goes back to Greek times where it was thought to protect one from evil. It still seems almost magic that when you rub the bright yellow flowers together in your fingers, your fingers stain red like a berry stain.

St. John’s wort (H. perforatum) is a perennial that came from Europe. It is an erect plant of about two and one half feet tall. It has small elliptic leaves that appear to have tiny perforations or holes when held up to the light. These are, in fact, translucent oil glands. The flowers are bright yellow, five petaled, with a spray of golden stamens, borne in terminal corymbs. They have tiny black dots along the petals, which are also oil glands and are where the red stain on your fingers comes from and what gives the oils and extracts their beautiful red color. There is a native variety of hypericum (H. formosum) that is similar in appearance and that can be used in the same ways, however, it is only half the potency of H. perforatum.

St. John’s wort is fairly easily cultivated, but be warned, it is invasive. It grows wild in most location and can be wildcrafted. When you do find clean, plentiful stands of it, feel comfortable gathering it as it is a prolific weed and needs to be kept in check. Gather the top six inches of blooming plants. It can be extracted in alcohol or oil in its fresh state, or dried for tea. It is not considered as strong in its dry state.

The popular use for this plant is as an antidepressant. Used alone or compounded with other herbs many people are finding it to be useful for moderate cases of depression. Studies have shown response rate to mild to moderate depression 50% to 80%. In Germany it is licensed for treatment of depression, anxiety and insomnia. It has been used traditionally as a relaxant and to treat melancholy. It has a long history as nerve healer and tonic, an actual restorative. It does take about 10 days to get the full antidepressant effects and should be continued for up to six months, with intermittent breaks. It has some MAO action, but apparently not enough to be significant as a dietary problem.

It is a tissue healer and anti-inflammatory with excellent applications for nerve injuries, tissue injuries, burns and internal inflammations. People find it helps with ulcers, hiatus herniation, gastritis, enteritis and gall bladder problems. It makes a good salve or ointment for external application of wounds, shingles, rashes, itches and varicose veins. The oil is used for massage of tissue with nerve damage, injury, or inflammation like sciatica. It has antiviral properties and can be used on cold sores. Studies are being done with HIV/AIDs patients and the indications thus far are encouraging.

It’s actions are: antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, astringent, choleric, nervine, tonic and vulnerary. It’s character is bitter, sweet, cool and drying.

St. John’s Wort is readily available commercially as tea herb, tincture, glycerite, capsule, compound and ointment. The cautionary note is that it may be phototoxic to some people. It certainly is to white skinned cattle and some antidotal evidence of it in light skinned people. So use caution if you are in the sun a lot and watch for this. If you should have a reaction, discontinue using St. John’s wort until you no longer in the sun so much. There are some antidotal reports that in some people it can disrupt sleep patterns. It has also been know to cause an allergenic reaction in some people.

St. John’s wort is not recommended in pregnancy. It should not be taken with antidepressant drugs and the sleeping time of narcotics can be enhanced. Anyone currently taking antidepressants should just stop them and start with St. John’s wort. It is recommended that you work with your health care practitioner and take three to six months.

The official recommended dosage is 300 mg. three times a day. This can be capsules or hydroalcoholic extracts. For tea, use two teaspoons per cup of boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes two or three times a day.