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St. John’s wort is also known as St. John’s wort and is a perennial that grows on clearings, meadows, thickets and forest edges. It is one of the most widely used herbs due to its versatile action. When is it worth taking advantage of the benefits of St. John’s wort?
St. John’s wort – characteristics
St. John’s wort (Latin Hypericum perforatum L.) is a plant that can grow up to 70 cm in height, with a stiff stem that branches at the top. On the leaves of ter plants, under the right light, characteristic very small dots (hence the name of the whole plant) are visiblewhich contain essential oil. St. John’s wort is grown all over the world, and in Poland, this plant grows in meadows, forest clearings or suburban areas.
The blooming season of St. John’s wort is from June to September, and then its yellow flowers can be noticed. During flowering, the herb is harvested and dried in a shaded and airy place. For this purpose, it is best to spread the herb in a thin layer or tie it into small bunches and hang it there. Importantly, when harvesting St. John’s wort, cut the tops of the flowering shoots, leaving about 3/XNUMX of the plant above the ground. You should also remember not to pick any over-bloomed plants.
It is worth noting that this plant was used in antiquity, when it was believed that it had magical properties. Over the following years, St. John’s wort was used in the treatment of burns, wounds, ulcers, respiratory and urinary tract diseases, and problems with the digestive system. In addition, this plant has been found to have calming and soothing properties. In herbal medicine, young shoots of St. John’s wort, as well as its flowers, are used to this day, producing various types of extracts and droughts from them, which is used in brewing.
St. John’s wort is also known by another name, namely Saint John’s Wort or St. John’s Wort. This is due to the flowering period, which is on St. John.
We also recommend: Nice and useful – dual use plants
St. John’s Wort – healing properties
St. John’s wort owes its health-promoting properties to many substances, including: hypercin (red dye), which is a flavonoid, hyperoside, which has a diuretic effect, quercetin and routine, which has the ability to seal capillaries, hyperforin, which has antibiotic properties, and bacteriostatic tannins, which are anti-diarrheal. In St. John’s wort, you can also find essential oils, organic acids, resins, mineral salts, sugars, pectin, choline, and vitamins A and C.
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St. John’s wort can be used in diseases of the bile ducts and stomach, in inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and stomach, as well as in reduced secretion of digestive juices, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, wind and flatulence, because it relaxes smooth muscles located in the gastrointestinal tract.
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St. John’s wort also has an antidepressant and sedative effect, which is why it is recommended in states of anxiety, nervous balance disorders or nervous exhaustion. St. John’s wort tea is also recommended for children who have night terrors and therefore get wet. St. John’s wort owes such properties to hypercine, which inhibits the breakdown of serotonin. Serotonin deficiency causes symptoms of anxiety, depression and bad mood. St. John’s wort prevents them by balancing the levels of serotonin in the body. On the other hand, in the treatment of depression, St. John’s wort extract is used, because hypercine does not dissolve in water and St. John’s wort in the form of brewed tea will not bring the expected results.
Interestingly St. John’s wort extract is also used to treat the loss of skin pigment, that is, vitiligo. In the treatment of this disease, oral agents based on St. John’s wort extract are administered, and the affected areas are lubricated with juice or oil from St. John’s wort, and then illuminated.
St. John’s wort is useful in a home medicine cabinet, especially in winter, because when applied externally, it heals frostbites and has an astringent effect. It can also be used to wash damaged areas of the skin as it has an antiseptic effect. A decoction of St. John’s wort is recommended instead of a tonic for acne-prone skin or for washing ulcers and abscesses. In inflammation, it can also be used to rinse the gums, throat and mouth.
In addition, St. John’s wort can be used in the case of gallstone disease, as well as weakened liver function. On the other hand, hyperforin found in St. John’s wort induces apoptosis of neoplastic cells (which also applies to leukemic cells). Hyperforin also reduces tumor metastasis, reduces their invasiveness and inhibits angiogenesis, i.e. the process of the formation of new blood vessels, which is why St. John’s wort is treated as a potential anti-cancer drug.
In the event of stomach problems, it is recommended to prepare an infusion from the plant, which should be drunk two to three times a day (you should drink half a glass or 2/3 cup of infusion) after a meal as a reliever or before a meal as a stimulant of digestive juices and choleretic agent. The infusion of St. John’s wort, drunk after a meal, stimulates our digestive system and prevents flatulence.
If the properties of St. John’s wort are the solution to your problems, you can start supplementing with St. John’s wort. At Medonet Market, you can now buy natural dietary supplements from the highest quality St. John’s Wort. Try, for example, the EKO herb St. John’s wort, which you will find at a favorable price.
Find out more: Herbal medicine – for whom and how to do it?
St. John’s Wort – reviews
St. John’s wort has a reputation for being an excellent diuretic, which is useful in treating urolithiasis. Thanks to the presence of flavonoids such as hyperoside, St. John’s Wort increases urine production by up to 30 percent per day.
St. John’s wort – contraindications and precautions
However, you need to take precautions during the treatment with St. John’s wort, because the hypercine contained in it increases the level of sensitivity to sunlight, which makes it easier, especially in summer, to suffer burns and even sunburn. Therefore, it can be said that contraindications to the use of St. John’s wort include the need to stay in the sun for a long time, e.g. related to the work performed.
Both St. John’s wort tea and preparations based on St. John’s wort extracts can reduce the effectiveness of the medications you are taking. First of all, it cannot be used concurrently with interferon therapy, cancer chemotherapy, HIV treatment with indinavir, as well as during anticoagulant therapy and hormonal contraception.
Except that St. John’s wort also includes the ability to interact with other drugs and the ability to displace them from cells. This allows the plant to increase the activity of P-glycoprotein, which in turn prevents the accumulation of various components in the body and leads to their removal from the cells.
St. John’s wort also increases the activity of liver enzymes (such as cytochrome P-450), which accelerate the metabolism of certain substances, while reducing their absorption by our body. Drugs that take advantage of this property include: statins, iron-containing drugs, anti-arrhythmic drugs, calcium channel drugs, opioids, caffeine preparations, and glucocorticosteroids.
Additionally, it should be remembered that St. John’s wort should not be used by people who take antidepressants (such as SSRIs or MAOIs), due to the possibility of a life-threatening serotonin syndrome, which in turn is associated with too much serotonin in the brain. When this happens, blood pressure may rise, agitation, hallucinations, convulsions, coma and even death may occur.
Finally, transplant recipients should not use St. John’s wort preparations with cyclosporin A or tacromulis, as this plant causes blood levels to drop, which may result in transplant rejection.
See also: Drug interactions with alcohol, herbs and food
St. John’s wort – recipes
St. John’s wort infusion
Ingredients: two tablespoons of herb, half a liter of water
Preparation: The infusion of St. John’s wort is prepared by pouring two tablespoons of the herb with two glasses of boiling water (half a liter of water) and leaving the prepared plant aside for about 20 minutes. After this time, the infusion is ready.
St. John’s wort tincture
Ingredients: 100 grams of young shoots (or 50 grams of flowers), half a liter of alcohol 70%
Preparation: To make a tincture of St. John’s wort, put about 100 grams of young shoots in e.g. a jar and pour half a liter of 70% alcohol, and then set aside for about two weeks. After this period, squeeze the shoots and strain the whole thing using gauze.
The next step is to add about 100 grams of liquid honey. The almost ready tincture should be set aside once more, this time for at least three months so that it can ripen calmly. After this time, it will be ready to eat.
St. John’s wort decoction
Ingredients: St. John’s wort, a glass of water
Preparation: About one tablespoon of St. John’s wort should be poured over a glass of water and then heated, but not brought to a boil. Heat for another 5 minutes. Then wait until it cools down and strain. St. John’s wort decoction is ready.
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