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Usage
St. John's Wort
is helpful in support of
depression, menopause, cramps,
and insomnia.
History
For centuries
this plant was thought to have
the power to drive out devils.
With the spread of Christianity,
the plant was associated with
Saint John the Baptist. It was
said to bloom first on his
birthday, June 24, and to bleed
red oil from its leaf glands on
the day in August that he was
beheaded. Moreover, the plant was
believed to be most potent if
harvested for medicinal purposes
on St. John's Day.
The genus name comes
from the Greek, meaning
""above an
icon"" and sprigs were
once set above images to drive
off malevolent spirits. Welsh
families used it as a health test
until the industrial era. Sprigs
were named for each family member
and hung overnight from a rafter.
The degree to which the sprig had
shriveled by morning was said to
suggest how soon the person would
die.
The plant
appears to bleed when crushed.
This may explain why early Greek
and Roman physicians used it to
dress wounds. Seventeenth-century
herbalist, John Coles, was an
exponent of the Doctrine of
Signatures. Coles pointed out
that the ""little
holes"" (glands) in the
leaves resembled pores and thus
recommended the herb for skin
problems of all sorts, including
""hurts and wounds and
inward bruises."" It
has also been used for nervous
disorders, including bedwetting
and urinary troubles, nervous
coughs, gastric problems, uterine
cramping, anemia and worms.
Several ancient healers including
Dioscorides, Pliny and
Hippocrates, also employed the
healing properties both
internally and externally.
Additional
Information
St. John's Wort is a
pain-relieving mild sedative and
antidepressant. It is effective
in a number of nerve-related
conditions including anxiety,
nervous stress and some types of
neuralgia. It has been found
helpful in relieving rheumatic
and arthritic pains and in
treating injuries to the nerves.
In controlled studies the
hypericin relieved symptoms of
anxiety and depression in women
probably through a process of
monoamine oxidase inhibition.
Monoamine oxidase is an enzyme
that deaminates, (removes the
amino group from a compound),
monoamines oxidatively and that
affects the nervous system by
breaking down monoamine
neurotransmitters. St. John's
Wort is especially regarded as an
herb to use where there are
menopausal changes triggering
irritability and anxiety.
In addition, to relieving
neuralgic pain, St. John's Wort
will ease fibrositis and
sciatica. Externally it is a
valuable healing and
anti-inflammatory remedy. As a
lotion it will speed the healing
of wounds and bruises, varicose
veins and mild burns. The oil is
especially good for healing
sunburns.
An oil extract of St.
John's Wort can be taken for
stomach ache, colic, intestinal
problems, and as an expectorant
for congestion in the lungs. A
tea made from the flowers is good
for anemia, headache, jaundice,
catarrh, uterine cramping, and
menstrual difficulties.
The height of the plant is
two feet. The stems are round and
distinguished by two raised
lengthwise ridges. The creeping,
tufted, yellow brown roots send
out runners. The flowers are
bright yellow. The leaves are
small oblong, light green with
transparent oil glands that look
like holes. The fruit is small
black round or oblong.
Usage Warnings
Limit exposure to the sun
since the skin may become photo
sensitive and sunburn easily
after several days of usage. It
is recommended that continuous
treatment (longer than two
consecutive months) be avoided
without a two to three week rest
period. Caution should be advised
in the case of marked depression.
*This
statement has not been evaluated
by the Food and Drug
Administration. This product is
not intended to diagnose, treat,
prevent or cure any disease.
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