Everyone knows St. John's Wort as the depression herb. And it is a darn shame that is where most people stop, because this plant has been used for over 2,000 years for things that have nothing to do with depression, and it still helps with almost all of them today.
A Wild Plant With A Beneficial History
Long before St. John's Wort was associated with low mood, it was hung above doorways to ward off evil spirits, tucked under pillows by young women hoping to dream of future husbands, and used by the Knights of St. John as a wound healer based on what those tiny perforations in the leaves told them. The ancient Greeks and Romans were using it for wound healing, sciatica, fever, and menstrual support. Culpeper placed it under the sun and Leo, used it for bruises, bleeding, and wounds both inward and outward, and the Eclectic physicians kept it specifically for serious nerve injury and spinal pain.
Paracelsus mentioned it for melancholy around 1500, but the idea was largely set aside until studies rolled out in the 1980s and Germany's Commission E gave it an official stamp for depressive states. That single classification has overshadowed everything else this herb can do, ever since.
St. John's Wort Uses Through the Times
The list is longer than most people realize. St. John's Wort has traditionally been used for nerve pain of almost any kind, including sciatica, neuralgia, and the pain associated with shingles. Its antiviral properties have shown specific action against the herpes virus family, making it an herbalist's go-to for cold sores and shingles outbreaks both internally and topically.
The hyperforin has shown antibacterial properties. It's also shown to be antifungal, astringent, and a wound healer with a long clinical tradition behind it.
Topically it has been used for burns, bruises, varicose veins, anal fissures, vaginal tears postpartum, mastitis, and hemorrhoids. For the nerves it shows strong trophorestorative actions, helping those with burned out or fried nerves.
Tune in to hear the full breakdown of how and why it works across all of these uses.
Important Things to Know Before You Use It
St. John's Wort comes with two significant cautions that are worth understanding before you start.
The first is photosensitivity. Taken internally, it increases sensitivity to sunlight, particularly for fair-skinned individuals. Nursing mothers should be aware of this for their infants as well.
The second is drug interactions. St. John's Wort upregulates a liver enzyme called CYP3A4, which accelerates the breakdown of many pharmaceutical medications, including some antidepressants, before they can do their work.
As with any herb, if you are on any medications, talk to your healthcare practitioner before adding St. John's Wort.
Natural does not always mean safe, and this is one herb where those discussions can make a big difference.
Freshness Is Everything
If you squeeze a St. John's Wort bud just before it opens into flower, and it doesn't ooze a deep red goo on your fingers, it is past its prime. The deep red hypericin that bleeds from the fresh bud is the marker of a potent plant, and it disappears quickly with conventional drying. A golden or clear St. John's Wort oil or tincture is a sign that something went wrong in the making.
Freeze-drying right after harvest preserves that hypericin and all the beneficial compounds as fresh as nature intended.
Want some Saint John's Wort in your life? Get freshly freeze-dried St. John's Wort capsules and fresh-plant extract from us here at Eclectic Herb.
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Research Referenced in This Episode
Schempp et al., "Antibacterial activity of hyperforin from St John's wort, against multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus and gram-positive bacteria," The Lancet, 1999
Nicolussi et al., "Clinical relevance of St. John's wort drug interactions revisited," British Journal of Pharmacology, 2020
Brockmöller et al., "Hypericin and pseudohypericin: pharmacokinetics and effects on photosensitivity in humans," Pharmacopsychiatry, 1997
*This is for educational purposes. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. All products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases.
