St John's Wort: Hypericum perforatum

Plant Family: Hypericacee

Native Habitat: Temperate Europe and Asia. St. John's Wort has naturalized to the United States. It is a common wildflower in the Pacific Northwest.

Herbal Actions: Nervine tonic, nervine antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, antimicrobial, astringent.

Parts used: Aerial parts in flower.

Forms: Fresh plant tincture, infused oil.

Active constituents break down with dehydration.

Season: Mid-summer.

Taste/ Smell: Astringent, aromatic.

Energetic Qualities: Cold, clear, dry, mobile, light.

Indications: Inflammation throughout the musculoskeletal system, depression, nerve damage, nervous system disorders, bruises & injuries (topically as well as internally).

Body system affinities: Nervous, musculoskeletal, immune.

Harvesting: Harvest when the plant is in flower.

Safety: SJW induces the liver's cytochrome P450 (CYP450) metabolic pathway. This metabolic pathway is involved in drug metabolism, so it can influence the way medications work within the body For this reason, a medication metabolism pathway should be assessed prior to use of SJW. Saint John's Wort is also a photosensitizing plant (in large doses), meaning that there is a slight risk of increasing the skin's sensitivity to sunburn while taking the herb at high doses.