St. John's Wort

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St. John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum)

Known in France as Millepertuis, Barbe/herbe de Saint Jean, chasse-diable, herbe aux brulures/ piqures/ mille trous and troucherons, St. John’s Wort is a member of the hypericacae family. It is supposed to put flight to evil spirits, exorcise possessed people.

A sturdy yellow-flowered herb whose plant stem reaches a height of between 60-70cm (2’- 2’4"). The leaves are small and stem-less, and the golden-yellow floral umbels appear at the end of shoots branching off the main stem. The flowers appear near to the time of the summer solstice, when the sun is at its most powerful, hence its St. John/ Jean.

The plant gives the impression of being literally drenched in light and is easy to identify. If you hold the leaves and the flower petals up against the light you will see a large number of translucent points, like pinpricks. This is caused by oil secreting cells. The flowers contain a reddish pigment (try rubbing the petals between your fingers and you’ll end up with red juice all over them!). The entire plant (flowers, stalks and leaves) has medicinal properties, but only the blossoms and the buds are used for making the oil.

Paracelsus said it was a plant in which God had hidden a great and wonderful secret, claiming that simply being in the proximity of a flowering St. John’s Wort was enough to promote healing. He advised patients to place some under their night-caps and beneath their pillows at night and to keep a bunch in their hands, or place it in a little bag and wear like a necklace. It is said that its holiness repels demons.

St. John’s Wort grows in walls, on waste or fallow land and in abandoned gravel pits. This explains why it grows out of the rocks on the edge of our gravel drive! It can also be found on dry embankments, in overgrown fields, at the edges of woods, in forest clearings and so on.

St. John’s Wort should be collected before noon on the St. John/Jean (21^st June) or the summer solstice, and dried as quickly as possible. It contains glycosides including rutin, volatile oil, colourings (hyperine which is yellow and hypercine which is red), tannin, resin and pectin. It is used as an anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary and sedative. Diuretic it prompts the flow of urine. Its expectorant properties make it a most valuable additive for cough and bronchial medicines.

Taken internally St. John’s Wort has a sedative and pain reducing effect. Used in the treatment of neuralgia, anxiety, tension or irritability caused by menopausal changes. (Although NOT recommended for a marked depression.) It eases fibrositis, sciatica and rheumatic pain. Externally it is used as a healing and anti-inflammatory remedy, for a speedy healing of wounds, bruises, varicose veins and mild burns. And the oil is used for sunburn.

DO NOT USE ST. JOHN’S WORT BEFORE EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT.

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St. John’s Wort Oil (1)

Fill a glass bottle loosely with St. John’s Wort flowers, adding enough linseed oil to cover them completely. Leave the sealed bottle standing in a warm place for at least 3 weeks, until the oil turns a reddish colour, then strain through a piece of muslin, pressing the flowers firmly so that none of their juice is lost. Store in small, dark glass bottles.

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St. John’s Wort Oil (2)

Put 250g/8oz fresh flowers in 500ml/18fl oz virgin olive oil, in a jar, and seal. Macerate on a sunny windowsill for 8 weeks, shaking frequently and strain through fine muslin. For scalds or sunburn – the oil used must be LINSEED – apply to the affected skin several times a day. Massage gently into the affected areas several times a day for swollen glands or lymph nodes, or lymphadenopathy, general injuries, bruises or contusions, rheumatism, back pain, lumbago, mumps and sciatica. It is also recommended for babies or small children suffering from stomach ache; just massage gently the tummy. For earache warm a teaspoon by dipping it in hot water, shake dry and ź fill with St. John’s Wort oil, trickle into the ear, massage just under where the ear joins the cheek and plug with a large piece of cotton wool. It is said to remove unwanted hair too!

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St. John’s Wort Bath

Soak a bucketful of St. John’s Wort leaves, flowers and stems (or 100g/4oz of dried) in I litre/5 gallons of cold water for 12 hours. Then heat up the infusion gently and strain it into your bath-water, which should come up at least to your kidneys. Lie in there for 20 minutes and then wrap yourself in a bathrobe without drying yourself and jump into bed for 1 hour. N.B. If you don’t have a bath you can soak your hands or feet in the warmed infusion instead for 20 minutes. This is used for insomnia, sleep walking and hysteria. It can also be applied in compresses externally to heal scalds, blisters and burns.

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St. John’s Wort Tea

Use 1 heaped teaspoonful of St’ John’s Wort per cup. Pour on hot water and let the herbs seep for 10 minutes before straining them off. Slowly sip 2-3 cups a day. Recommended as an alternative to the wonder drug Prosac for menopausal problems, it is also taken for irregular periods, nerve injuries or lesions, neuritis, nervous disorders, nervousness, over exertions, insomnia, bed-wetting, sleep walking and hysteria. Mix in equal parts with Horsetail, using 1 heaped teaspoon of the mixed herbs per cup and gargle with this several times a day for tonsillitis or adenoids.

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St. John’s Wort Tincture

Put 240g/8oz of finely chopped fresh herb or 120g/4oz of ground dried herb in a sealable container. Pour on ˝ litre/1 pint of 30% (60 proof) vodka and close tightly. Put in a warm place for 2 weeks and shake it well twice every day. Strain through fine muslin and wring all the liquid out of the residue into a bowl. Then pour the tincture into a dark bottle. Massage into the joints, hips and spine for multiple sclerosis. For insomnia take 10-15 drops dissolved in 1 tablespoon of warm water.

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St. John’s Wort Wine

Put 40g St. John’s Wort in 1 litre of good white wine and leave for 14 days. Strain and drink 2 liqueur glasses between meals. This is an alternative to taking the tincture or the tea.

Julia Renshaw

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