Saint John’s Wort, herb of the Summer Solstice

June 2011

 Saint John's Wort is under the celestial sign Leo, and the dominion of the Sun. -Culpeper's Complete Herbal, mid-1600's

Walking along an old railroad bed in upstate New York, summer solstice 2001, I first met the sunny plant of St. John in full flower and growing in abundance. Even though I had used this plant ally both in tincture form and as an external oil, I had never met it in its own habitat, and the feelings I received when I saw its bright yellow clusters of little flowers were joy and relief. There is no replacement for the health benefits that arise from getting to know a plant while it is in its whole form.

Later I bought a 4" pot of St. John's that I planted in my garden and within two years it had grown into a patch several feet wide and made its way on into the lawn. That was fine with me, because I wanted its essence around and harvested the flowers for medicine, but do be aware of where you choose to plant it, especially if you have any livestock nearby, for it can be poisonous to them.

Botanically, St. John's Wort is in the Clusiaceae family and is called Hypericum perforatum. There are hundreds of species to this one genus, many of them ornamental varieties which have no medicinal value. The herb St. John's is native to Europe but has naturalized in the states, growing with ease in open woodlands, roadsides, fields and abandoned lots. It is a perennial that grows 1-3 feet in height, with a sessile (directly attached to the stem) leaf full of translucent dots that contain hypericin, among other good things. When held to the light, the leaf looks like a fairy took a miniature hole puncher and went to town, hence the species name perforatum. The flower petals have the same dots, or glands, along their margins and when crushed, exude a red pigment that smells wonderful.

The summer solstice occurs annually in late June, the time when the sun has reached its zenith in the sky and is the closest to the northern hemisphere as it ever gets, before it begins its slow descent south eventually leading us into winter. Saint John's Wort is also in its height of flowering at this time, and with its golden star-flowers full of stamens that look like rays bursting forth, the sun's uplifting energy is captured on earth in the form of a humble flower.

As a medicine, it is no wonder this herb is used to relieve depression and anxiety, among many other important roles. I speak from personal experience of its power to help heal the downward spiral of depression. In combination with rose, yarrow and angelica, it can remove dark emotions by bringing light back into the soul. It is also a specific remedy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

My teacher Matthew Wood taught me that St. John’s Wort was also one of the top herbs to use for any trauma involving nerve damage, including tetanus. It has the ability to heal severed nerve tissue by quickly regenerating the damaged areas. Using it internally as tea or tincture and externally on the wounded area is highly effective here. It is a mild sedative, calming and soothing, and an analgesic (pain reliever), in part because of its capability to enter the body, find inflammation, and reduce it. It is one smart, helpful plant.

Although it is not as well-known for this property, St. John’s is an expectorant, removing unnecessary phlegm from the respiratory system. And last but not least, something St. John’s is growing in popularity for, is its anti-retroviral activity, particularly with AIDS and the herpes simplex. Simply taking the tincture at the onset of a cold sore can prevent its full flare up.

There are contraindications of the use of this herb in conjunction with certain pharmaceuticals, for light sensitive individuals, and pregnant and nursing moms. If none of the above is currently relative to you, make or buy some St. John’s Wort Oil and massage the sweetness of the summertime into your heart or loved one’s back, giving yourself or them a double dose of happiness.



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