Hypericum perforatum
St. John’s Wort
Golden rays glow in the distance, radiating from a plant like the summer sun. Finding a patch of St. John’s Wort is like receiving a gift from the sun themselves.
From afar I can easily tell St. John’s Wort apart. Once familiar with this star like plant they become easily recognizable.
The scientific name for this plant is hypericum perforatum. The word hypericum points to the medicine in this plant also known as hypericin. Hypericum comes for the Greek hyper “above” and eikon “picture of icon.” This points to the historical practices of this plant being hung above religious icons in the home to ward off evil spirits. The word perforatum points to the pin like holes in the leaves. In the doctrine of signatures we recognize this characteristic points to the plants’ ability to heal wounds.
To some solstice marks the coming of St. John’s Wort day, also known as Midsummer Day on June 24th. This is the peak of solstice and is the time to harvest your hypericum perforatum medicine. This had Pagan roots before being used by Christianity/Catholicism- hence the name “St. John’s Wort.”
I love to make a luscious body oil from the fresh buds of hypericum perforatum. There is a short window of time this can be done and falls around the solstice. This aspect makes the medicine feel that much more special.
When the sun is present, harvest the buds and put directly into your oil. Let the oil pull that crimson red medicine from the flowers for a month before processing your medicine. Adorn yourself in this oil after a bath, or use as a breast/womb massage oil.
If you find yourself having nerve pain, use this oil to support that.
If you see a small patch, don’t harvest from this patch. We want the medicine of hypericum perforatum to continue, and to do this we need to ensure the seeds can spread and disperse. So be sure to make sure you are harvesting from a patch big enough to harvest a small amount. Never take more than you need, and never waste the medicine of the plant. A good rule of thumb is to never take more than 1/3 of a plant or a patch. The medicine is strong so a large handful can easily make a small jars worth of oil.
Here is the herbal monograph for our sweet summer friend! Please be sure to make yourself familiar with the contraindications as well.
Hypericum perforatum
Family: Hypericaceae
Native habitat: Europe, Western and Central Asia, North Africa
Parts Used:leaves, buds, flowers
Notes:
Prefers well-drained fields and meadows.
St. John’s Wort is known to move locations of where they grow.
This herb has a lot of folklore around them.
They are often harvested on or around the solstice also called St.John’s Day.
This plant has been used as a protection plant, and was hung in doorways on Midsummer’s Eve.
A doctrine of signature we can see with this plant is the perforations in the leaves, that point to the plants ability to heal.
The holes in the leaves are not actually holes, they are actually glands full of volatile oils and constituents like hypericin.
The flower buds have a blood like paste when squeezed.
The red, crimson paste is high in hypericin and makes a decadent oil when processed from fresh flower.
Hypericum perforatum has a specificity for nerve pain.
This herb has been tag lined for their ability to support depression but is also amazing when used topically for nerve issues.
This herb is not advised to be taken internally for those on SSRIs or antidepressants.
This herb can cause photosensitivity to some.
Naturalized in North America, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia.
Tastes:
Sweet, bitter
Identification:
Leaves:
Light green with tiny perforation “holes” when held to the light
Leaves are opposite along stem and lance shaped
Stems:
Stem is woody at the base, smooth, typically reddish
Two distinct lines running opposite down the stem
Flowers:
Yellow star like flowers with 5 petals
Buds when squeezed have a red paste
Tiny black, dark red, purplish dots along the tips of the petals
Bushy stamens in the center.
Herbal Energetics:
Warming, drying
Herbal Actions:
Vulnerary, trophorestorative, hepatic, nervine, antiviral
Tissue State Indications:
damp/stagnation
cold/depression
tension/constriction
Contraindications:
Can cause photosensitivity when ingested.
Can negatively interact with SSRIs or antidepressants.
Please remember to always use at least 3 identification sources when wildcrafting. Also be mindful of where you are harvesting. For example, making sure the plants are not near roadways or somewhere they can become polluted by exhaust or pesticides.
Disclaimer: These articles are for educational purposes only, they are not a substitution for professional medical advice, and as the reader you are responsible for your own health decisions.
