St. John’s Wort
As we approach the summer solstice we enter a season of extreme light. St. John’s Wort has long been associated with the Solstice. St. John’s Day has traditionally been celebrated around this day (in 2022 it is celebrated on June 21). This season of heady growth can and should be captured for use in our darker moments–when the winter comes, when depression looms and boundaries get blurred. Below find tips for how to identify and use St. John’s Wort.
How to identify St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort likes to grow in the sun. Look for it in full sun, in likes fields and waste places. It can also be grown in your herb garden, just make sure it has full sun.
The flowers have 5 petals with many large and delicate stamens coming out of the center. The foliage is quite scruffy looking and the plant is around knee high. I found a large patch near my home in an old quarry.
How to Use St. John’s Wort
While you can purchase dried St. John’s Wort it is really best to use it fresh. Tinctures and oils made with the fresh plant yield a bright red product. The oil makes a great salve for topical uses. Flower Essence is another great option. It is very gentle and can be used by most people. NOTE: when taking St. John’s Wort as an oil or tincture it can increase your sensitivity to the sun.
- Oil
- Salve
- Tincture
- Flower Essence
Uses of St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort is well know for the help it offers people suffering from depression. This use has actually “pigeonholed” a great herb with diverse uses. There are many supplement companies that only focus on this one use. While I certainly think that having high quality herbal supplements is a great option, sometimes the work connecting with the plant is the real medicine. Herbalist Sajah Popham says of St. John’s Wort
This plant is a classic example of what the supplement industries pigeonholing of herbs does to our knowledge of medicinal plants. Most people think of this plant for depression and stop there, forgetting that it has a whole slew of other medicinal properties, virtues, actions, affinities and uses far beyond the scope of depression. This remedy also brings us the discussion of what true holistic herbalism is all about. Why? Because you can’t just hand someone with severe depression a bottle of St. John’s Wort and expect their depression to magically disappear. It rarely works in that way and if it does is typically palliative and not curative to the root underlying cause- which in the case of depression can be quite complex.
Sajah Popham
Other uses include–
- Nervine
- Bitter Tonic
- Anodyne (Pain)
- Vulnerary (topic wounds including puncture wounds)
- Anti-viral, anti-microbial
- Liver support
Esoteric Uses
One area where I feel that herbs really shine is the way they support our whole health, especially mental and spiritual. St. John’s Wort used to be known for it’s protection against possession. This included placing sprig’s near the entrance to the house and hanging them over the baby’s cradle.
Herbalist Sean O’Donohue says that he feels more then protecting against possession St. John’s Wort helps you be fully who you are, who you were meant to be. “When you are full of yourself there is no room for anything else,” O’Donohue says.
I found this personally to be true. I began using St. John’s Wort at a time in my life when I was struggling with what I thought was depression. In actuality I had been giving all of my energy to my family for years and not being conscious about filling my own well. In the process I had totally lost who I was and what I wanted in my life.
This is where St. John’s Wort steps in. If you are feeling a need to strengthen your essential self, and establish boundaries St. John’s Wort is a great strengthening tool. For this purpose I recommend drop doses or flower essences.
Sajah Popham says
The pattern we see with St. John’s Wort is that it is to be used when someone feels entrapped in the darkness and they cannot find the light. They have often lost hope, faith, trust, believe, and the ability of their own willpower and strength to effect change in their lives. It is as if their inner light is dimming- not in the sense that they are dying, but rather the light of their consciousness.
Sajah Popham
While it is a little deep it is a great addition to a self care routine when you feel that you have lost yourself and you need a little extra care. It will support you in your growth by helping you come to your true self. It will help you know who you are and what you want as well as establish appropriate boundaries.
