St. Johns Wort
Hypericum perforatum
Personality:
This pretty, yellow flowered herb is easily missed as there are many similar looking plants, both related and unrelated to Hypericum perforatum. The distinguishing characteristic of St. Johns Wort is the presence of perforations in the small leaves. These are not literally holes but are tiny translucent areas in the leaf, which allow light through when held up to the sky. Picking St. John's Wort, leaves a reddish coloration on one’s hands and is another indication that you have the right plant. It likes chalky soils and a fairly open position.
Sources:
Once considered a specialist herb, St. John's Wort is now extremely popular and very easy to find. For internal use, you can to buy it in tincture form and for external use as a cream or ointment. If you cannot find a cream of any particular herb, remember that tinctures mix very well with most creams, so you can add the tincture to any base cream to make an external preparation. Only harvest it from the wild if there is a large, sustainable group of plants. Harvest only a portion of each plant, as it is perennial and will regrow, if part is left intact.
Uses:
Depression, anxiety, low spirits, shingles, neuralgia, wounds.
Actions:
Antidepressant, anti-viral, analgesic, antiseptic, thymoleptic (lifts the spitits).
Preparations & Dosage:
Tincture, half teaspoon, two to three times per day. Cream, ointment or oil may be used externally. To make the oil, pick a jar full of flowers, cover them with a good quality oil and leave in the sun for a few days. Strain and use when required.
Safety:
St.John’s Wort can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight than usual (photosensitivity). It is therefore recommended to avoid strong sunlight whilst taking the herb.