Common name: St John’s wort. Its name comes from the fact that it usually flowers on St John’s day, the 24th of June, in the northern hemisphere.
Botanical name: Hypericum perforatum. “Perforatum” refers to the little holes in the leaves and flowers.
Botanical family: Clusiaceae
Cultivation
St John’s wort is a resilient plant. It is drought and frost tolerant. It grows in poor soil in full sun, but it can also be found in shady or semi-shady areas near waterways.
How does it do here in Central Otago? It grows wild here! The plants like dry open areas.
A beetle was introduced in New Zealand to eat this plant and reduce its population. The beetles strip the plants from its leaves and flowers leaving just the stalks. The number of beetles depends on the season and the areas.
Traditional medicinal uses
Its strongest affinity is with the nervous system. It also has an affinity with the skin for certain ailments.
Traditionally, it has been used to alleviate low moods and treat mild depression. It is also used to treat seasonal affective disorder.
Externally, it can be used to help with nervine pain (like sciatica, shingles) and to help with healing burns and contusions. The plant has antimicrobial properties.
How to use it?
Parts used: the areal part, mostly the buds and flowers.
Fresh, the flowers and buds can be infused in oil for a moon cycle until the oil takes a deep red colour. It can also be used in tea (it has a very earthy taste), or can be tinctured.
Other things to know about the plant: when harvesting hypericum, fingers get dark red stains due to the little black dots on the plants. These are actually glands and contain the phytochemical hypericin which is the source of the plant’s amazing properties.
We use Hypericum in the chakra balm as the yellow colour for the solar plexus chakra and for its healing properties. Hypericum can help sensitive beings to build up resilience.
Contraindications
Do not take Hypericum perforatum whilst taking antidepressants, or during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
St John’s wort can create photosensitivity if taken over a long period of time.
Mythology/Folklore
It is a herb of the Sun. The Hypericum flower is bright yellow, it reflects light and has an earthy taste, almost as a connection between the sun (soul) and the earth (body).
Isla Burgess refers to the plant-people relationship as “the healing contract between Hypericum and those who need to increase their resilience not just physically but also mentally with emotional extremes.”
References
“The Biophilic Garden” by Isla Burgess
“Materia Medica of Western Herbs” by Carole Fisher
