An Herbal Profile:  St. Johnswort (hypericum perforatum)

I have a special place in my heart for this hearty, beautiful plant.  It is the first wild plant I learned to identify and wildcraft, and its sunny nature and simple beauty appeal to me deeply.  I remember going for walks with my children in New York state, with Nusaybah, the baby at the time, in her baby sling, and Juwairiyah, who was then two and a half, calling out, "There's Saint John's work, MY Saint John's work!" 

photo courtesy of Jennifer Anderson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

St Johnswort grows in sunny places in meadows, and near roadsides throughout much of the world.  I chose to grow my own, in my garden, in order to ensure my supply for the year.  I felt better knowing it hadn't bathed in car exhaust for its entire life before I harvested from it!  It starts easily from seed, and enjoys a chalky soil best.  I never had to amend my soil for this hardy plant.  You harvest St. Johnswort near the summer solstice, taking the top portion of the flowering tops, before the flowers have fully opened.  Both the leaves and flowers are used.  The children especially love getting the red oil on their hands as they harvest.

The key biochemical constituents found in St Johnswort are:
    Glycosides (the most prominent being hypericin)
    Flavenoids
    Volatile oil
    Tannin
    Resin

Its properties include:
    Sedative
    Antidepressant
    Anti-inflammatory
    Antimicrobial
    Relieves pain
    Anti-spasmodic
    Astringent

St Johnswort has achieved its fifteen minutes of fame as an antidepressant.  It was touted as the "herbal Prozac" for awhile, but this pop culture sound byte does not do it justice at all.  St Johnswort can relieve depression, but at the same time it nourishes the nervous system, reducing anxiety, pain, and irritability.  It seems as though it is particularly helpful for menopausal women, but people of all ages have benefited from it as well. It seems to work best with a combination of other herbs, and can be taken as a tincture or tea.

Smile Awhile Tea
2 parts lemon balm
2 parts chamomile
1 part St. Johnswort
1 part red rose petals
1 part milky oat tops

Combine and let them get comfortable with each other for a couple of hours.  For an adult, use one heaping teaspoon for each cup of water.  Bring water to a boil, pour over your herbs, cover, and let steep for fifteen minutes.  For children (ages six and up) use catnip instead of the rose petals.

Topically, St Johnswort also has a place in the home medicine chest.  It is excellent for bruises, wounds, and burns, soothing and repairing damage.  When my three year old was a baby, she was burned by some hot tap water.  I sprayed the area with an infusion of calendula and St. Johnswort, for a week, every time I cleaned the area.  After two days I also used a very light salve with these herbs, as well as aloe vera, and she healed up quickly, alhamdulillah.

The best thing to do is to make your oil with freshly picked St. Johnswort.  Harvest it in the morning, after the dew has evaporated, but before the sun is
full strength.  Gently rinse the plant material, pat dry, and let it dry for at least eight hours or so, or make it the next morning.

St. Johnswort Oil
Remove the leaves and flowers from the stalk (this is not entirely necessary, by the way).  Break them up with a mortar and pestle, or chop with a knife, or blend briefly in a blender.  Loosely fill a clean, dry mason jar almost to the top with the herb, and cover completely with the oil of your choice.  Olive is perfect for this- splurge and get organic, cold pressed, if you can.  Make sure that every little bit of plant is under oil, or you will get mold or worse, and your oil will be ruined.  Cover with wax paper, and place the clean, dry lid on the jar.

Now, I am a firm believer that the best oils are those that get energy from both the sun and the moon, so- let your oil sit in a sunny window, and make sure that at night it is also bathed in the moonlight.  Shake daily, and watch as your oil turns a beautiful , deep, ruby red.  After two to six weeks (yes, that is a wide range, but we all have different patience levels) pour the oil through a cheesecloth into another clean, dry container, and squeeze all the oil you can get out of the plant material.  About a week later, look and see if there is a layer of silty stuff on the bottom of the jar- if so, drain all the good oil from it, leaving the dirt in the first jar.    You can check again after a week to see if there is any more dirt, but there probably won't be enough to worry about. If there is, repeat the decanting process again.  Store your St Johnswort oil in a cool, dark place.  Use as necessary.  This is very nice in salves and balms.

~ Khadijah Lacina

DISCLAIMER:  This information is for educational purposes, based on the study, education, and experience of the author, and is not meant to replace the advice of a trained physician.  Soapnuts and the author are not responsible for any outcome of your use of this information.