ST. JOHN'S WORT

St.John's wort is commonly used to relieve anxiety, stress & to treat mild to moderate depression. It can lead to better mood & morale.
It has a calming & tranquilizing effect, improves mental clarity & strengthens the immune system.

Helps treat insomnia.
It relaxes & strengthens an over exerted, exhausted nervous system from stress or worry.
It is a good treatment for the winter blues or SAD during winter months.
The average time to notice the effect of the herb is between 2-6 weeks.

Hypericin & other flavonoid compounds in the flowers helps in the treatment of varicose veins.

St. John's wort also has been used to treat muscular spasms, cramps & tension that results in muscular spasms.

St. John's wort preparations may be ingested for internal bruising & inflammation or following a traumatic injury to the external muscles & skin.

St. John's wort may help with the treatment of herpes, HIV & friend leukemia virus & could help in treating some cancers.

The herb is particularly beneficial to women. It also helps them deal with menopausal problems such as mood swings, emotional disturbances, depression etc.

St. John's wort is useful for pelvic pain & cramping.

It helps dull nerve pain & speed tissue repair.

It has been shown to help heal post-operative scars.

It may also decrease alcohol intake.

It is also a potent antiviral & is known to cleanse the liver.

Oils can be extracted from the leaves & the buds for topical application to alleviate sprains, strains, inflammation, bruises, ulcers etc.

When St. John's wort oil is rubbed onto the belly & breasts during pregnancy it can help prevent stretch marks.

Topical application of St. John's wort oil is useful to treat hemorrhoids & aching, swollen veins that can occur during pregnancy.

You can massage sore muscles & joints with the infused oil to ease pain from sprains, fibromyalgia, rheumatism, neuralgia, sciatica, muscle stiffness or soreness, arthritis pain & any other musculoskeletal pain.

You can make an ointment with the oil infusion & use it for inflammation, wounds, burns, bruises, skin ulcers, shingles, bruises & varicose veins.

St. John’s Wort oil is applied topically to provide soothing relief in skin problems as well as prevent viral & bacterial infections.

PRECAUTIONS:

St. John's wort may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight.

Side effects of St. Johns Wort can include anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headache, or sexual dysfunction.

At large doses, St John's wort is poisonous to grazing livestock including cattle, sheep, goats, horses.

St John's wort may interact with birth control pills & may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.

RECIPES:

Oils are made by soaking pureed leaves & flowers in olive oil for 4-6 weeks.
Unlike most herbal oils, St. John's wort should be processed in direct sunlight.
You can also add a few drops of lavender essential oil or chamomile essential oil.
It can be used externally as a massage oil to ease joint pain, inflammation & sprains.
It can also be applied to bruises, wounds, skin inflammations & hemorrhoids.

Herbal Tea:

Use the flowering tops, leaves or extracts to prepare tea.
Infuse 2 - 3 tsp per cup of boiling hot water.
Drink several cups of tea a day.

Tincture:

Crush 50 g of St. John's wort flowers in a mortar.
Steep the herb, covered in 1/2 cup of vodka or brandy for 10 days.
Strain the liquid & pour it into a dark bottle for storage.
Use the herb tincture as needed.
Take 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon, every 4-8 hours.

BEAUTY:

St.Johns Mask for Acne:

St Johns wort
Lemon grass
Hold the St John’s wort & lemon grass in a boiled water for 1 hour or until the mask mixture is completely cooled down.
The water content & the herb should be added evenly (1:1).
Apply it on your face for 15-20 minutes while laying down, then wash.
Use only at the evening, because the skin is more sensitive to the sunlight after the masks treatment.
Use this simple mask twice a week at most.
If the skin is dry - don't use the lemon grass but add some parsley to this herbal mask.

MAGIC:

Carry St. John's Wort for courage, protection, detecting other magicians & strengthening the will when confronted with bad situations.

The leaves made into a necklace are believed to ward off sickness & tension & to enhance endurance & will when doing battle.

For protection from lightening, fires, strong storms & evil spirits place sprigs of St. John's Wort in a jar & place the jar on a windowsill.
Similarly, hanging bunches of the plant over every window of the house is said to protect from evil spirits & black witchcraft.

Burning St. John's Wort as incense or in the fireplace thought to protect the home & repel unfriendly spirits & burning is common in exorcism rituals.

Placing St. John's Wort under the pillow of a single woman at night is said to induce dreams of her future husband.

One old Welsh custom was to hang a sprig for each family member on a rafter for the night. The degree of wilting of each sprig the next morning was said to foretell how soon each individual would die, thus giving clues on the state of the health of the individual.

Another belief was that if one slept with a piece of the plant under one's pillow on St. John's Eve, "the Saint would appear in a dream, give his blessing & prevent one from dying during the following year".

Many devil-fearing folks regard St. John’s wort as the most potent herbal amulet against Satan, as well as all things of an evil nature.

In Great Britain, it was once common for St. John’s wort to be sewn into one’s garments for protection against the devil.

To keep homes & their inhabitants safe from the evils & mischief of the devil & his fiends, it was customary for sprigs of St. John’s wort to be gathered on St. John’s Eve & then hung over the doors & windows.