ST. JOHN’S WORT

St. John's Wort blooms at the height of our summer, and then shares her great light with us in the deep depths of winter. An herb used since ancient times and included in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, St. John's Wort is quite worth having in every home apothecary.

ANTIVIRAL

St. John's Wort has long been my go-to antiviral plant medicine. In the winter, I take a daily dose of the tincture for triple protection against viruses, seasonal depression, and inflammation. Since I started taking the daily dose, I have felt fewer viruses come into my system (I usually take it from about October to March... from when our plant friends say good bye to when they start to return...) If I do feel a virus coming on, I take a stronger dose every hour or so. 

St. John’s Wort works wonders for herpes simplex, and I have heard that it also works well for herpes zoster (shingles). For cold sores or shingles rash, one should apply the oil or salve quite often, and it should always be dabbed, not rubbed on, so that the virus doesn't spread further. The tincture may also be taken for internal relief.  

Before I got to know St. John's Wort, I loved and often used Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) as a very gentle antiviral plant medicine. But when I developed some autoimmune issues, I found that I could no longer take lemon balm. So far, St. John's Wort does not seem to make my autoimmune issues flare up.

Some new research is coming out on St. John's Wort as a preventative and treatment for Covid-19 and it looks promising for both its antiviral and its anti-inflammatory work.   

NERVE PAIN

St. John’s Wort is also a wonderful medicine for pain, especially involving nerve damage. I used the salve on the tender muscles of my thrown back and also the tincture to help with the pain. For pain relief in acute situations (not long term), I take the tincture every 20 to 30 minutes. The oil or salve also need to be applied fairly often. 

WOUND, SKIN, & SUNBURN

Many report successful healing of puncture wounds with St. John's Wort. I often include it with herbs like yarrow, plantain, and/or calendula for wound or skin healing salves. I have used the salve to heal post surgery skin, sunburn, and iron skillet burns, which I seem to get way too often. 

MOOD

You may have heard of using St. John’s Wort for depression. I find that a daily dose of the tincture does bring light into the heart and help chase away the winter blues. I cannot speak from personal experience on the effect of St. John’s Wort on deep depression, and it should never be taken with antidepressant pharmaceuticals (see contraindication below). If you are interested in SJW for depression, I would turn to the guidance of a master herbalist or health professional who knows St. John’s Wort well. A good herbalist/healer often has other secrets up their sleeve to help with depressed energy. I also highly recommend seeking out St. John's Wort if you think it might grow near you. It is a very lovely plant with which to spend some time and there is nothing like making your own medicine with Saint Johnny. 

HABITAT & FORAGING

In our fairly wet climate, St. John’s Wort never seems to thrive. But she does grow and I find healthy patches of her in the hot, dry weeks of summer. I start looking around the summer solstice (and Saint John's Day - June 24) and usually harvest in early July. You want to harvest St. John’s Wort when she is still in partial bud stage and just beginning to get some blossoms. For each plant, there are usually only a few days of peak harvest before the blooms begin to brown (or turn red, actually!) and lose their potency. I recently learned from Irish herbalist Lisa Guinan that you may pluck the blossoms and a new flower will grow in its place! The most beautiful St. John’s Wort plant I ever beheld was growing in gravel next to a cabin in County Lietrim, Ireland. She was so lovely that I did not harvest one blossom! I’ve also seen her grow in great patches along the highway in South Carolina and other hot, southern locales. I hear she grows like a wild weed in the American West (in some states she is an illegal invasive), which makes sense as I often see her growing here out of rocky hillsides in the heat of summer. I have noticed over the years that St. John's Wort disappears from certain areas and so I am quite careful in how and where I harvest her, always looking for places of abundance where it seems she will return and always leaving her alone in places where she might not thrive and reproduce. 

IDENTIFICATION

Rub the yellow flowers or buds of St. John’s Wort and she will stain your fingers reddish purple! There are five yellow petals and many pollen-tipped stamen. The leaves have many tiny dots (oil glands) that you can see through if held up to the light. What a glorious plant.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

St. John’s Wort is a powerful herb that can be dangerous when taken with certain pharmaceutical drugs. If you take antidepressants, other pharmaceutical drugs, have a medical condition, or are pregnant or nursing, it is best to consult a medical professional about the use of St. John's Wort. It is advised to avoid excessive exposure to UV radiation while using St. John's Wort. 

You may hear more about Saint Johnny in Adelyne’s tale PRINCESS CASTLE.

ST. JOHN’S WORT TINCTURE

INGREDIENTS:

• Freshly harvested blossoms & buds (with a bit of leaf & stem)

• 80 proof or higher liquor (vodka recommended) 

St. John's Wort is not abundant in our wet region, so I try to leave the whole plants standing. For this I take a few small cuttings of the tops, parts full of blossoms and buds, from several different plants. Much of the medicine is contained in the blossoms and buds, though the leaves and stem have medicinal constituents as well, so I do use a bit of the green. Because the blossoms are so delicate, I tincture her immediately in the field.

TINCTURE: Place the herb in a jar, mostly blossoms and buds, and cover the herb with an 80 proof or higher liquor. I usually use 80 proof vodka for Saint Johnny. Brew for at least 6 weeks. 

ST. JOHN’S WORT OIL

You may make an oil with a similar process to the tincture, but I would use even less green material. Cover the blossoms and buds with olive oil (coconut oil works as well). SJW is one oil that usually can be solar-infused, leaving the jar out in the sun for two or three weeks, but you may also gently warm the jar in a pot of water and then let sit overnight before straining. Be sure to wipe off any water that condenses at the top of the jar while brewing. Also, strain out ALL of the plant material. Anything left behind might cause mold to grow. Because she's harvested at the peak of summer heat and sun, I've never had a SJW oil get moldy when solar-infusing (whereas I have lost many others when the sun is not at its peak. Especially spring dandelion!) For longer shelf life, keep the oil in the refrigerator or make into salve immediately. My salves usually last over a year.

Blessins, friends.

*Disclaimer*

This material is intended for educational purposes only. This recipe does not provide specific dosage information, format recommendations, toxicity levels, or possible interactions with prescription drugs. Accordingly, this information should be used only under the direct supervision of a qualified health practitioner.