It's
St. John's wort season! St. John's wort is a plant with bright five
petal flowers. It grows to be 50-100 cm tall. It's peak bloom time is
the summer solstice, the longest day of sunlight in the year.
It
gets its name from the fact that its flowers are traditionally
harvested on the day of St. John the Baptist, June 24th.
You can pick them anytime between May and September, depending on
local climate. It grows wild in sunny meadows, dry hills, along
roadsides and forest edges. You
can easily identify St. John's wort by crushing its flowers between
fingers. They will release red oil and stain your fingertips!
This
plant has been used for medicinal purposes all over the world for
thousands of years, mostly for mental health conditions. It has
numerous therapeutic benefits when used at the correct dosage. It is
still used by doctors for the treatment of depression and skin
healing processes.
Oil will be effective only if the herb is in fresh form. Pick the flowers, undeveloped buds and top few leaves. Gather them on a sunny days, so they will not produce mold. Let the flowers stand still overnight. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate as well as tiny insects hiding in flowers to leave.
Lightly pack St. John's wort in the glass jar. Jar should be clean and dry. Pour quality cold pressed oil, such as olive or sunflower oil, until the oil covers the herb and place the lid. You can use any carrier oil.
Leave the jar on a sunny and warm place like windowsill for 40 days. Open it every day and wipe out with a tissue paper any condensation that forms. Also make sure to shake the jar few times a day to keep everything mixed well. Potent little yellow flowers and buds will give such a vibrant crimson color to oil.
After 40 days filtrate the oil and press the flowers well. If the oil was made properly, it should have dark red color with purple shades.
After you strain it off, keep the oil in a dark place. Do not keep the oil in refrigerator. You can also buy this oil in pharmacies or online.
Related articles:
Medicinal
parts of the plant are flowers and leaves. They are used in
infusions, tinctures and as liquid extract.
It
is also known by other names such as cantarion, hypericum, goatweed,
rosin rose, amber-touch-and-heal and demon chaser. In Medieval times
it was believed to ward off negative spirits.
How To Make St. John's Wort Oil - Easy Tutorial:
St.
John's wort oil is used for the treatment of minor wounds and burns,
sunburns, ulcers, acne, hemorrhoids, dandruff and eczema. It will
regenerate the skin very fast. To make your hair grow faster, apply
the oil on your hair 30 minutes to 2 hours before washing it and
gently massage your scalp for a few minutes. Oil is also used for
massage, relaxation, sore muscles, rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago,
varicose veins, ovary inflammation. Pregnant woman can massage their
belly and thighs with this oil to prevent stretch marks. St. John's
wort oil is safe for treating skin diseases of your pets. It helped
my cats to get rid of allergy dermatitis and ear mites.
Quote
from VCA hospitals:
“Feline hyperesthesia syndrome (also known as "rolling skin disease"), a convulsive disorder of cats, appears amenable to treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and may benefit from the serotonin-raising effects of St. John's Wort. Feline hyperesthesia can also be considered a severe form of peripheral neuralgia, which was a traditional indication for St. John's Wort. Psychogenic alopecia (hair loss resulting from psychological reasons) in both dogs and cats and even acral lick dermatitis in dogs (also called lick granuloma) might similarly benefit, given the herb's relaxant and peripheral analgesic (pain relieving) effects. Hypericum may also be used to relieve the pain of declawing and acute back pain secondary to disk prolapse. Hypericum appears to be effective in the treatment of feline immune deficiency viruses, although these benefits are probably only seen with the use of liquid extracts.” By Steve Marsden, DVM ND MSOM LAc DiplCH AHG, Shawn Messonnier, DVM and Cheryl Yuill, DVM, MSc, CVH. Read the full article here.
Oil will be effective only if the herb is in fresh form. Pick the flowers, undeveloped buds and top few leaves. Gather them on a sunny days, so they will not produce mold. Let the flowers stand still overnight. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate as well as tiny insects hiding in flowers to leave.
Lightly pack St. John's wort in the glass jar. Jar should be clean and dry. Pour quality cold pressed oil, such as olive or sunflower oil, until the oil covers the herb and place the lid. You can use any carrier oil.
Leave the jar on a sunny and warm place like windowsill for 40 days. Open it every day and wipe out with a tissue paper any condensation that forms. Also make sure to shake the jar few times a day to keep everything mixed well. Potent little yellow flowers and buds will give such a vibrant crimson color to oil.
After 40 days filtrate the oil and press the flowers well. If the oil was made properly, it should have dark red color with purple shades.
After you strain it off, keep the oil in a dark place. Do not keep the oil in refrigerator. You can also buy this oil in pharmacies or online.
Oil
can also be applied to treat inflammation, fungus or bacterial
disease of the genital organs. Dip entire tampon in oil, leave it to
soak for 10 minutes and put it into the vagina for couple of hours.
Repeat 3 times daily.
St. John's Wort Tincture:
If
you want to make St. John's wort tincture, follow the same recipe
mentioned above but instead of oil fill the jar with vodka.
Don't
forget to shake it every day. After you strain it, store the tincture
in dropper bottles.
Dissolve 10 – 30 drops in half a cup of water
and drink 3 times a day to treat intestinal parasites, hemorrhoids,
incontinence, mild depression, liver disorders or to boost immunity.
St. John's wort tincture is not recommended if you are pregnant,
nursing or if you are taking pharmaceutical antidepressants. It can
also interact with some prescription medications. If you are about to
undergo surgery, stop taking St. John's wort two weeks before surgery
because it may prolong the effect of general anesthesia.
St. John's Wort Tea:
The
dried herb may also be used as a tea. Tea helps to treat mild to
moderate forms of depression, inflammation of internal organs, gout,
incontinence, insomnia, nightmares, cough, bronchitis and asthma.
Pour 1 tablespoon of St. John's wort in a cup of boiling water. Cook
the tea for 10 minutes and drink 3 times a day. It may take couple of
weeks to two months before you notice any effect.
Avoid drinking this
tea if you are pregnant as it may cause miscarriage.
Author: Ayurveda Tutorials
Related articles:
what is the flowers name? batanical?
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