St. John’s Wort has enjoyed a reputation as a wound healer since the fifth century, BC.  Dioscorides, Paul of Aegina, Pliny, and Galen all referred to the plant, which is said to relieve excessive pain, remove the effects of shock, and have a tonic effect on the mind and body. As such, it is an especially valuable treatment for the pain which follows an operation.

From ancient times, St. John’s Wort was known as a miracle healer, and, like many health-giving plants, it earned a reputation for magical properties as well. As one of its folk names suggests, "witches herb" was popular with practitioners of witchcraft, perhaps because when its flowers are pressed with cooking oil, they produce a blood-red substance. And I mean to say blood red. The leaves are marked with spots the color of dried blood. The red juice of the crushed flowers was believed to be the blood of Saint John the Baptist, and the flowers were traditionally gathered on the Eve of Saint John’s Day, June 24. The so-called "witches’ blood" obtained from the plant was an important ingredient in love potions and conjuring spells from the days of the early Greeks onward.

St. John's Wort is a tonic plant, it improves just about anything that ails you!

There is not one St. John’s Wort, but several, and almost every continent has been blessed with its own variety. Used to maintain health since antiquity, the plants are now finding a place in the modern medicinal arena. Contemporary herbalists are using the plant in treating AIDS and other immunity-suppressed conditions, so there’s a good chance that we will be hearing more about St. John’s Wort in the coming years.

Earlier herbalists and healers have had a lot to say on the subject. In 1597, our friend Gerard noted:

Saint John’s wort with his flowers and seed boiled and drunken, provoketh urine, and is right good against the stone in the bladder, and stoppeth the laske. The leaves stamped are good to be laid upon burnings, scaldings, and all wounds; and also for rotten and filthy ulcers.

The Lewis Materia Medica, compiled in 1799, adds that the plant was useful for "maniacal disorders." In fact, "it has been reckoned of such efficacy in the later as to have thence received the name fuga daemonum [go away, demons]. It has also been recommended internally for wounds, bruises, ulcers, spitting blood, bloody urine, agues, and worms." As I certainly have my share of unwanted demons, it’s nice to know that the plant will take care of them while it is making my body strong.

A North American observer named Rafinesque remarked in 1830 that the leaves could be used to relieve diseases of the breast and that a syrup of sage and St. John’s Wort was useful in cases of croup, colic, and vomiting. By 1868, the plant had a listing in the Canadian Pharmacopeia.

In 1892, a scientist wrote of St. John’s Wort:

The great use of hypericum in wounds where the nerves are involved to any extent is the rightful discovery of the true science of medicine, many cases of injury to the cranium and spinal column are reported benefitted by its use, and every homeopathic physician of at least three months practice can attest to its merits.

In 1992, the plant was still considered supreme among homeopaths, but nobody else in the United States seemed to use it for squat. Most of us can’t recognize it if it’s under our noses, let alone know how to use it. Cattle and sheep ranchers in the West are familiar with it because St. John’s Wort causes sensitivity to light, and the animals that eat a lot of it get killer sunburns. (Once again, this is a herb where a little goes a long way; it can make people as well as livestock more sensitive to the sun.) As a result of this characteristic, both the ranchers and the government are trying to eradicate the "useless" weed. Okay, it’s time to remember the plant all witches love. To do so, let’s go overseas where folks still recognize it.

In Ukrainian folk medicine, St. John’s Wort is a leading home remedy, especially for kidney problems and ailments of the digestive tract ranging from stomachaches to stomach cancer, and oddly enough including both constipation and diarrhea. It is also used for respiratory, metabolic, and gynecological diseases, as well as infectious ones. The Ukrainians wash both their hair and their wounds with various parts of the plant; it’s even recommended for the treatment of cattle that have been bitten by mad dogs.

The villagers also use St. John’s Wort as a tonic to ensure good strength for the long days of labor at harvest time. The feeling is that the plant makes you strong and more able to handle your work. Does this sound like something you might want to have, strength to do the things you need to do?

In Ireland, St. John’s Wort is associated with the Blessed Virgin and Saint Columcille as well as Saint John. The plant was recommended by the chief herbalist in County Waterford as an excellent remedy for an airy fit. In case you’re not up on Irish terminology, an airy fit is a little spell of lunacy, something which tends to happen from time to time to most of us in the modern world.

In China, Hypericum chinense, or ssu tsao as it is called, is both an ornamental and a medicinal plant. Unlike other members of the species which lack in this department, the flowers of the Chinese variety are said to be lovely. The plant is used as an astringent and is also prescribed for diseases resulting from fouled water sources and snakebites. If you are sick, si zao is thought to alter that state even though the preferred way of taking the plant is with a sip of wine and a touch of powdered centipede. Yuck.

Leave it to the Chinese to check things out scientifically, and here is what they learned about one of their local St. John’s Worts: Japanese St. John’s Wort, along with several other hypericum species, has been shown to have anti-tumor activity in animals. At least 17 species of hypericum demonstrate in vitro antibacterial properties. Other hypericum species display in vitro antifungal activity, and seven species are reported to elicit antiviral effects in vitro. In addition, extracts of Hypericum perforatum have produced antidiarrheal, sedative, antitumor, and diuretic results. Saint John's Wort is a tonic plant, it improves just about anything that ails you!

St. John’s Wort: The Anti-Depressant

Let me start by saying that there is the sort of depression you can treat at home and then there is the sort that needs the attention of a professional. If you are having a hard time and need a little help, think about St. John’s Wort. If you are thinking about ending it all, get the professional help you need. There is no need to suffer. Many of us have gone so far down that we have not been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With the help of a qualified practitioner we have lived to tell the tale. If you need help, get help. St. John’s Wort is not a substitute for working through something with a counselor! No need to suffer!

Now, having said that, St. John’s Wort is most famous today for its use as an antidepressant. There have been many clinical studies which have shown that it improves mild to moderate depression. If depression is a problem, St. John’s Wort is the place to start.

I say this because I think many of the chemical antidepressants being passed out like candies. In many cases they are not needed, something milder would do the trick. These drugs are scary. They mess with brain chemistry. Science does not understand the chemistry of the mind let alone the long term effects of using chemicals to change brain chemistry. Now doctors have begun to drug children as young as two with these scary chemicals! No one knows what happens to people who use these chemicals long term, regrettably, we are going to find out. Whenever possible, I get my patients to pass on being a guinea pig and use something that is tried and true. St. John’s Wort has been used long term and we know there are no surprises in store for the user! These drugs should be reserved for emergency cases and not given out like communion wafers.

So, if you are depressed, and it happens, think about using something that has a track record. Chemical antidepressants do not. St. John’s Wort is not packing any surprises.

Now, St. John’s Wort is known as an antidepressant and really it is a lot more than that. It is a tonic to the nervous system. A lot of people run around talking about being depressed. What they are is burned out. They have overused their nervous systems to the extent their nervous system has gone on strike. They are more shut down than depressed. Modern life is hard and it is taking its toll on people. When their nervous system goes on the blink, which is inevitable, the reach for an antidepressant. What they really need is a tonic to the nervous system. St. John’s Wort is that tonic. It builds up the nervous system and adds something that life has taken away. St. John’s Wort can be used as a bridge back to normal living, but, there is no substitute for reasonable living. Use it to get back on your feet, do not use it to go back into the ring for round three.

Then there are those that fall apart as the days shorten and the nights become longer. Seasonal Affective Disorder they call it. The winter blues. As a clinician, I think there is no better an herb. People who have historically gone down in the winter months, do not when they use St. John’s Wort. That is all there is to it.

Then there are those that just tend to be a little blue no matter what. Even in these cases St. John’s Wort makes a difference.

Firstly remember that St. John’s Wort has been established to be effective in mild to moderate depression. Make sure the shoe fits. If you need something more serious, work with a professional to get what you need. Secondly, see St. John’s Wort as a tonic to the nervous system. If your nervous system is run down and you cant cope in your fatigued state, it will help. Or if you are going through a really bad time, use it to strengthen your nerves. St. John’s Wort is more than an anti-depressant, it is a tonic. Remember this. Lastly, it must be taken for three weeks for an effect to be felt and it should be used for months on end to feel its full effect. Stick with St. John’s Wort and you will be glad you did!

And let me say one more time. If you need professional help get it. Life is too short to stay stuck and there are professionals out there that can help you get past whatever it is that is keeping you back and down. Your life clock is ticking and the time is now to get your life back on track. Saint John's Wort will help you, but, if you need something extra, get it!

Science: Contains hypericin a proven antidepressant

Practitioners opinion: Effective in mild and moderate depression

Directions: Tablets: 2-200mg tablets 3 times daily

Tincture (1:5, 45% alcohol): 3ml 3 times daily