Saint John's Wort

General description
History
Applications
Chemical properties
Precautions
Remaining images

Back to the Home page

Saint John's Wort is found in almost whole Asia and Europe, in other countries it is imported. The plant is found along sand roads, road sides and open forest places. Saint John's Wort is a remaining or fixed herbal like plant.

The plant has egg-round to elongated leaves.

The plant flowers from May to August with golden flowers. In the leaves and petals are small oil glands, these are small holes in the leaf. If the leaves and flowers become bruised, the oil goes out, by which on the leaves (and on the hands of the pickers) rust brown stain stay behind.

The stems are stiff and vary in length from 20 to 100 cm.



Cultivate Saint John's Wort yourself.
The plant grows the best on dry, alkaline ground but grows under all possible circumstances. The seed needs a short frost period to germinate. You can therefore sow the seed best in the late fall outside.
By in the spring you can lay the seed for a time in the freezer.
After rise replant the plants, the plant distance is 30 x 50 cm.
The best place is sunny till half shadow.


Back to the top of this document

The name Saint John's Wort is originating of the fact that the flowers and the leaves were picked on the 24th of June. This is the holiday of Saint John the Baptist, the day, on which the sun stands on her highest point, and the moment that the plant contains the most therapeutic substances.
The French term "Millepertuis" refers to the many openings in the leaves (the word "pertuis" means "opening"). The name "Hypericum" refers to the god Hyperion, father of the sun in the Greek mythology. A reason for this reference to the sun is that the flowers are so bright and beautiful yellow.
The Saint John's Wort is since the antiquity known as a medicinal plant.
It was prescribed with name by Dioscorides, physician in the armies of Nero in the first century after Christ. In the middle ages, one used the plant in the preparation of different remedies but also as "devil chaser" or "fuga daemonium". At the attic of the houses, one hung bunches of Saint-John's wort to protect themselves against bad spirits and witches. The herb spreads when drying a smell of incense. This smell is pleasant keeps for god but keeps away the diabolic. The drive out of the bad (depressions) can be found again in modern treatments on basis of Saint John's Wort.

According to a legend, someone who before going to sleep stepped on Saint John's Wort will be held awake the whole night by elfs.

In the beginning of the 16e century the famous Swiss physician Paracelsus (the inventor of the theory of the signatures) was a supporter of Saint John's Wort for the treatment of wounds, because the plant shows self many wound openings.


Back to the top of this document

Working and character.
Anti-inflammatory, healing promoting, soothing, nerve relaxing, anti-depressive.

Internal use.
- By shock and hysteria.
- By light depressions.
- By dejection in the menopause and by menstruation pain.
- By sensitive intestines.
- By stomach ulcers.
- By bed urinating and chronic bladder inflammation.
- Two or three cups of tea per day help by light depressions.

External.
- By stab wound, bone sore, light burnings.
- In and externally by nerve pain, ischias, back pain, pain after operations.
- In and externally by herpes and herpes zoster.

Saint John's Wort becomes used professional by diabetic neuralgia, multiple scleroses and Parkinson's disease.
Also Saint John's Wort becomes used by the consequences of radiations therapy.
Together with other herbs, it becomes used also by withdrawal of anti-depressives, as Prozac.
Another application is by nerve damage and depressions by aids.
Saint John's Wort also works well by some kinds of bladder inflammations. Saint John's Wort combined with horsetails works well by bladder problems.
Saint John's Wort combined with Vervain, works good by depressiveness and fears.

There exist stories that tell that this herb can promote the ability of controlled dreams by which the dreamer can influence their dreams.
Essence of the flowers is applied by agony, nightmares and fear for "resignation".
Saint John's Wort has a protective working on vulnerable, open personalities and creates inner harmony.

Tincture of the fresh plant and preparations of that are best by internal use and by sores, herpes zoster and herpes, take then three times a day 2 to 5 ml.
For a method for the making of a tincture click here.

There are many tablets and drops available that help by light depressions.
Examples of this are Hypericum (tincture) and Hyperiforce (tablets) of A Vogel.

Follow by these products the indications of the manufacturer.

Give bed urinating children early in the evening a cup tea of Saint John's Wort.
For a method for the making of a tea click here.

The oil-extract of Saint John's Wort is good for burn wounds and sores and is also good as massage oil by back and nerve pain.

Make of Saint John's Wort oil.
Make the oil by firstly to pick on a dry June morning (21 June) the flowering flowers. Pound them fine in a mortar with a little vegetable oil.
Put the mixture in a glass pot and cover the complete with oil and shake it completely good.
Let this stand in the sun and shake it regular till the oil has a deep red colour.
Sieve it finally and put it in a bottle and label tar the bottle with indication of the date.
For another method for the making of medicinal oil click here.


Back to the top of this document

In the plant present compounds.
Ethereal oil, hypericine, hyperforine, pseudohyperforine, tannins, choline, bitters matter, saponiens, mucins, inuline.


Compounds in Saint John's Wort.
Aglycone Quercetine, Cadinene (ethereal oil), Cadmium 0.0001%-0.0003% (root), Cadmium 0.0001%-0.0005% (plant), Cadmium 0.0001%-0.0007% (leaf), Carotene 0,0165% (seed), Carotenoids (plant), Caryophyllene (ethereal oil), Chlorophyll (plant), Choline (plant), Cineole (ethereal oil), Ethereal oil 0.06%-0.35% (plant), Ethereal oil 0,33% (seed), Fat 32.8%-32.8% (seed), Flavone Hypericide, Flavonoid 11,71% (flower), Hypericide, Hypericine, Hyperine (plant), Hyperoside (plant), Myrcene (ethereal oil), Myristic Acid (plant), Octanol (ethereal oil), Palmitine Hard (plant), Pectin (plant), Phenol (plant), Phloroglucinol (plant), Pinene (ethereal oil), Protein 18.1%-20.7% (seed), Pyrogallol (plant), Quercetine (plant), Quercetine - Aglycone, Quercitrine (plant), Red Pigment, Resin, Rutin (plant), Saponins (seed), Sitosterol (plant), Stearic Acid (plant), Tannins 12,1% (seed)


Back to the top of this document

Saint John's Wort becomes named "natural prozac", but may only be taken instead of Prozac on advice of a physician. Do not use it by heavy depressions. Strong extracts can, in combination with sunlight, cause rash, but by normal use that does not happen.
Saint John's Wort can influence the working of other medicines (o.a. anticonception pills), be thus carefully with the combination of Saint John's Wort and other medicines.
The most ethereal oils cannot be taken in without risk. Use ethereal exclusive internal oil when you have sufficient knowledge or consult a (homeopathic) physician. In general however the working by external use is stronger than by internal use.

Back to the top of this document

Here a number of impressions / photographs of Saint John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) are shown.






Back to the top of this document



Literature

[1]. Bremness, Lesley;- The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs - Fifth edition; Studio (1994). ISBN 0140238026
[2]. Shaw, Non; - Herbalism: An Illustrated Guide - First edition; Element Books Ltd. (2000). ISBN 1862042241
[3]. Rüdt, U.; - Therapeutic and poisonous plants - First edition; Zutphen: B. V. W. J. Thieme &
Cie (1973). ISBN 90-03 94630 , 2