Hypericum perforatum: St. John’s Wort

[Althaea]

Found this little beauty by a small man made pond while taking a little walk about yesterday. Hypericum is one of my herbal allies that can really help put some sunshine in my brain when it’s been days and days of cloudy or stormy.

There are many ancient superstitions regarding this herb. It’s name Hypericum is derived from Greek and means “over an apparition”—a reference to the belief that the herb was so obnoxious to evil spirits that a whiff of it would cause them to fly off.

I use it in oil for topical use to help with nerve pain or internally in tea or tincture. St. John’s Wort gets pigeonholed as the “anti-depression” herb but it doesn’t work the same way as an anti-depressant and has lots of other uses. Also, (like anything else) is not for everyone but I have found it useful and wanted to share. Do any of you have any experience with Hypericum or any other herbal allies? I would love to hear from you!

[Hidden]

This is interesting to me. I didn't know you could find stuff in the wild and use it like you were saying... I'm kind of curious if I have this where I live. How do you make a topical formula out of this? I have parents that both suffer from nerve pain, and it might be useful for them

[Althaea in reply to Hidden]

There might be someone in your area who offers plant ID walks that could be of assistance. Or you can pick up a plant ID book with pictures that is for your region. I make a topical formula by taking the fresh blooms and soaking them in olive oil, heating lightly and then straining. Keep in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. You can use the oil directly or as part of a salve. There are plenty of herbalists out there though that sell their hypericum extracts and tinctures.

[Hidden in reply to Althaea]

Awesome, thank you! I'll see about finding some books on this then. I appreciate you responding

[Hidden]

I don't have enough plant knowledge to know about this kind of stuff

[Hidden]

I've tried a few different tinctures. Ashwagandha, passionflower, valerian. It was either passionflower or valerian that calmed me down during a few stressful situations for a good few hours. That's awesome you've had success with hypercium. Thanks for stating the original greek meaning of the word. I'm really interested in that now 🙂

[Althaea in reply to Hidden]

Nice! I love all of those that you listed but especially passionflower! It’s amazingly beautiful and does wonders for when I can’t shut my mind down at night or when I’m caught in a circular thinking pattern.

Thanks for sharing!