St. John's Wort is a herb that booms mid June to July, around the time
of John the Baptist saint's day. Thus the name of the herb. Modern
medicine markets this herb mainly as an anti-depressant but it has
actually many other beneficial properties. As an oil it eases
swelling, bruises, muscle aches and helps in the treatment of many skin disorders.
However most importantly it is a topical antiviral for shingles/smallpox and cold sores. The main active
antiviral component in St. John's Wort is thought to be Hypericin (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC90321/). In recent years other components have been found in St. John's Wort that might also be responsible for it's topical antiviral properries.
St John's wort
The herb might be growing just in your backyard if you would not mow it
over every time. If you see it growing somewhere just don't run it
over with the lawn mower and you will be able to make some really good
St. John's Wort Oil. Just like any herb it does does not like lawn fertilizer at all and grows best in a sunny spot on mineral rich soil.
Translucent dots on the leaves
It's sometimes a bit difficult to recognize the herb between grass,
especially when the plant is still small and has no flowers yet.
One way to identify it is to hold a leaf against the sun light
and you will see white spots. Those little glands containing essential
oils.
Preparing St-John's wort oil
The red St-John's wort oil must be prepared when the herb is
flowering (around June-July).
We use the leaf and the flowers for the preparation of the oil
Use a bigger (250-500ml) jar. The jar should be transparent (not
green or brown) and have a lid. Cut the St-John's wort into small
pieces such that it can be inserted into the jar. We use both
the leaf and the flowers but discard the stem. Put as much as possible of St-John's wort into
the jar.
Add a good quality oil (sun flower oil or olive oil)
Add a good quality vegetable oil (I use normally sun flower oil) and
put the jar into the full sun (!) for about 2 weeks.
St-John's wort oil, a red-brown oil
It's a red-brown oil when it is ready and then you can fill it into
small bottles. This oil soothes and heals inflamed tissue and reduces pain.
Don't apply it to a large area before exposing your skin to the sun.
St-John's wort makes the skin more sensitive to sun and you can easier
get a sun burn.
