St. John's Wort

St. John's Wort
(Hypericum perforatum): Poison (depression)  DI* (Drug Interactions are possible)
May potentiate MOA-I medications

Folk Names: Amber, Fuga daemonum (Latin: Scare-Devil), Goat Weed, Herba Johnl, John's Wort, Klamath Weed, Sol Terrestis, Tipton Weed
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Deity: Baldur
Powers: Health, Protection, Strength, Love Divination, Happiness
Magical Uses: Worn, St. John's Wort wards off fevers and colds, makes soldiers invencible, and attracts love. If it is gathered on Midsummer or on a Friday and worn it will keep mental illness at bay and will also cure melancholy. When placed in a jar and hung by a window, St. John's Wort protects against thunderbolts, fire, and evil spirits. Both flowers and leaves are used for this purpose. It is also dried over the Midsummer fires and hung near the window to keep ghosts, necromancers, and other evildoers from the house, and is burned to banish spirits and demons.
   Any part of the herb placed beneath the pillow allows unmarried women to dream of their future husbands. Use in rituals or carry to detect other magicians; at one time it was held to the mouth of accused Witches to attempt to force them to confess.
[From Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]

St. John's Wort is a herbaceous perennial growing freely wild to a height of 1 to 3 feet in uncultivated ground, woods, hedges, roadsides, and meadows; short, decumbent, barren shoots and erect stems branching in upper part, glabrous; leaves pale green, sessile, oblong, with pellucid dots or oil glands which may be seen on holding leaf to light. Flowers bright cheery yellow in terminal corymb. Calyx and corolla marked with black dots and lines; sepals and petals five in number; ovary pear-shaped with three long styles. Stamens in three bundles joined by their bases only. Blooms June to August, followed by numerous small round blackish seeds which have a resinous smell and are contained in a three-celled capsule; odour peculiar, terebenthic; taste bitter, astringent and balsamic.

St. John’s wort is one of the most commonly used herbs in the United States. It's a shrubby perennial plant with bright yellow flowers. St. John's wort got it's name because the flowers were said to bloom for the first time around June 24, the birthday of St. John the Baptist. The word "wort" means "plant" in Old English.


St. John’s wort has long been used as a folk remedy for emotional disorders. It was once thought to rid the body of evil spirits. St. John’s wort has also been used for wound healing and for a variety of other conditions.

St. John's wort is best known as a natural remedy for mild to moderate depression, but it's also being studied for other conditions such as: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Skin Conditions  (Oil of St. John's wort, applied to the skin, was a folk remedy for skin injuries, nerve pain, burns and hemorrhoids.), Ear Pain (Some alternative practitioners recommend St. John's wort for ear pain due to an ear infection -otitis media), Smoking Cessation (St. John's wort is being explored for smoking cessation. Although promising, well-designed studies are needed.).
 
Side Effects and Safety Concerns


In published studies, the most common side effects associated with short-term use of St. John’s wort supplements have included mild stomach upset; allergic skin reactions; tiredness; restlessness; anxiety; sexual/erectile dysfunction; dizziness; dry mouth and headache. If applied to the skin, St. John’s wort may cause a skin rash. St. John’s wort (both oral or topical) increases the sensitivity of skin and eyes to sunlight.

Rarely, St. John’s wort has been associated with serotonin syndrome, a potentially dangerous condition resulting from an excess of serotonin in the central nervous system. Symptoms include confusion, fever, hallucinations, nausea, loss of muscle coordination, sweating, and shakiness. Use with antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, has been associated with this. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking St. John’s wort and seek immediate medical attention.

Important Notes About St. John's Wort

•St. John’s wort may worsen symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other mental conditions; it may also lead to psychosis or mania.
•People with diagnosed or suspected depression should consult a doctor to ensure that their condition is properly assessed and treated.
•Pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those trying to conceive, should avoid St. John's wort.
•St. John’s wort should not be taken by organ transplant recipients, as it may cause organ rejection.
•In one small study, St. John’s wort was associated with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels.
•Do not stop taking prescription drugs without consulting your doctor.

The translucent dots on the St John's wort leaves