Good day! Today our highlighted plant is one that is a fantastic mood-booster: St Johns Wort.
The Latin name of this plant is Hypericum perforatum.
The flowers of St Johns Wort are yellow with five petals on each flower. To confirm that the plant you've found is actually St Johns Wort, you can take one of the rounded green leaves from the plant and hold it up to the sun. The leaf will have tiny perforations, like tiny pin-holes. So the leaves appear perforated, hence the name "perforatum." If you press the yellow flowers between your fingers, you will see a red pigment which is called hypericin. In studies, hypericin has been shown to work as an anti-depressant and anxiety reliever, in addition to having anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It's often used to help with depression and anxiety, but this plant is also known to repair nerve tissue in the body with its anti-inflammatory properties.
The medicinal parts of this plant are most concentrated in the top newer growth of the stalks once it's flowering. You can still take from the lower parts of the plant stalk, but the stalk becomes more fibrous and has less blooms the closer it is to the soil compared to the upper part of the stalk, so the lower parts have a less concentration of medicine. A tincture made from St Johns Wort will turn bright red as it sits, from the medicinal red pigment in the flowers. Another interesting thing to note about this plant is that it can cause photosensitivity, which means your skin is more likely to get burned by the sun. So if you decide to give St Johns Wort a try, remember to stay out of the sun!
Have a magical day,
Jenny
PLANT INGESTION WARNING!
As with all herbs and plants you plan to ingest, never ingest them before doing your own research and/or talking with your doctor - it’s possible that medications you take or health conditions you have could have a negative effect if paired with St Johns Wort. Better safe than sorry!
Photo credit goes to aarongunnar (aaroncarlson).