St. Johns Wort

Hypericum Perforatum

Most of us think of St. Johns Wort as a remedy for depression. It's true, this wonderful little flowering ground cover DOES nourish the nervous system and improve moods for some people. That's not the only reason to love the plant though!

The following story expresses the personal experiences of Marianna Bailey, employee at Robin's Herb Shop.

"A good many years ago, a dear family member mentioned to me how badly she hurt from her diabetic neuropathy. Neuropathy means that the nerves are dying, and of course that's a painful condition. I hated to think there was nothing to be done for her, and indeed, she felt that way. Her doctors had tried every pain-relieving medication they could dream up and still, her condition aggressively declined. I visited herb shops and read books and Googled every webpage I could find, and answers were unavailable at that time. I did, however, locate a couple sentences that told me St. Johns Wort benefited nerve health. I decided to try it, and again, no herb shops around carried it in a topical application. I made up my mind that I would just make my own. I invested in 2 plants and got them in the ground. They grew all year long, but didn't produce any flowers. The following May, I got a call that this person had passed away from complications of her illnesses. I was devastated. After the arrangements had all been carried out, I stood in my kitchen and looked out the window. There in my yard were a few yellow flowers. I decided that even if this special lady wouldn't benefit from it, my mother might, so I went outside and collected the flowers and began to make oil. I shook the jar of oil with flowers in it every day, and after 2 weeks, I strained the oil. I added a few fresh flowers and shook that jar for another 2 weeks. At that point, I went to visit my parents and since my mother also has diabetic neuropathy, she was a perfect guinea pig. I took the oil from my flowers with me and gave my mother a foot massage with it. I rubbed it in and worked it thoroughly. About 15 minutes afterwards, my mother announces that her feet aren't hurting. She even walked barefoot across the room, something she hadn't been willing to even attempt in a couple years. Since that time, I've bottled multiple ounces of my special oil and used it liberally on many uncomfortable body parts to find some relief. I discovered it eases the pain of sunburns too, and takes the "throb" out of some muscle aches. Best of all, it takes the edge off of my husband's back pain (due to an injury) so that he is able to sleep at nights. It doesn't bring dead nerves to life, or if it does, I'm unable to tell that. But the relief it brings to those I love makes it worthwhile to continue growing and working with. And it always reminds me of Ella,...because she is the reason I tried it in the first place." -- Marianna Bailey, Family Herbalist

St. Johns Wort likes full sun and plenty of space to grow and spread out. It can be considered "invasive", so if you plan to plant it, place it in an area it can take up space. It only blooms during June and July, and the flowers are where the red oil is most evident. Harvest the flowers and place in a glass jar. Fill jar with olive oil to cover flowers, cap the jar tightly and shake daily. Store it in a sunny window to allow it to blend (like sun tea). After 2 weeks, strain and bottle oil. Optionally, you can add a few drops of vitamin e oil just to act as a preservative to your St. Johns Wort oil. Apply to the skin as needed, but do keep in mind that St. Johns Wort can increase photosensitivity.

Caution:
St. Johns Wort should not be taken orally in conjunction with contraceptive pills, epileptic medications, anti-depressant medications or certain foods containing tyramine, ie: cheese, red wine, preserved meats and yeast extracts. It may well increase the chance of sunburn, so care should be given to exposed skin when using St. Johns Wort.