HypericumperforatumL.
Perennial herbaceous plant up to 1 meter high. The stem is erect, branched in the upper part. The leaves are oblong-oval in shape with numerous translucent light dots and rare black glands containing a coloring matter. The flowers of St. John's wort are golden yellow, collected in an inflorescence - a corymbose panicle. The fruit is a leathery capsule with small dark brown seeds. St. John's wort blooms in May-August, the fruits ripen in July-September.
Where does St. John's wort grow?
St. John's wort is found everywhere in Belarus, the European part of Russia, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Grows mainly in pine and mixed forests, forest clearings, edges, clearings, in river valleys, in bushes, on hills, along roads, along embankments.
Procurement of medicinal raw materials
As medicinal raw materials use St. John's wort - the tops of the stems with buds, flowers and leaves about 25-30 cm long, which are cut. Dry under sheds or in attics, spreading out St. John's wort thin layer. Shelf life of prepared medicinal raw materials - 3 years.
St. John's wort chemical composition
Hypericum herb contains flavonoids, essential oil, alkaloids, tannins and resinous substances, carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin PP.
St. John's wort application
AT traditional medicine Hypericum perforatum is used as an astringent, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent. In addition, St. John's wort has wound healing, antispasmodic and choleretic properties. In dermatology, St. John's wort preparations are used for eczema, psoriasis, purulent skin diseases, acne.
St. John's wort decoction
10 grams (1-2 tablespoons) dried and chopped medicinal raw materials placed in an enamel bowl, pour 200 ml of hot boiled water, cover with a lid and heat in a water bath for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, filter, squeeze the remaining raw materials. The volume of the resulting solution was adjusted with boiled water to 200 ml. The prepared broth is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days. Take orally 1/3 cup 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
St. John's wort. Ivanova grass
How can you not bake bread without flour,
So without St. John's wort you can not cure a person.
folk saying
St. John's wort- one of the most famous wild medicinal plants. This is a low herbaceous plant with yellow-orange flowers. It blooms in late June and blooms all summer. Hypericum perforatum (also called common, or pierced) is a perennial herbaceous plant 30-80 cm in height. It grows in dry, well-lit places - sparse pine and mixed forests, in forest glades and edges, in clearings, in meadows, near roads, along the outskirts of fields, in abandoned arable land, in oak forests, in birch pegs, in meadow steppes. St. John's wort grows in the forest zone almost throughout Europe and in Western Siberia.
St. John's wort perforated (St. The Latin name of the genus Hypericum means growing among the heather, which is associated with the habitat of the first found species of this genus. There are several opinions about the origin of the name of the plant. Perhaps the name comes from the words hyper (over) and eicon (reflection). According to other authors, the name comes from the verb upereidofal (to look into the distance, to show oneself), indicating the presence of transparent spots on the leaves of the plant. Another opinion is that the name comes from hypo (under) and erikn or ereikn (heather), i.e. plant growing under heather. Finally, some botanists believe that the name comes from hyper (over) and eikon (image in the sense of a ghost), referring to people's belief in the mysterious properties of the plant to exorcise spirits, or because the plant grows on old monuments.
And how did the Russian name - St. John's wort come about? It has long been noticed that pets can get sick from St. John's wort, and only white-spotted or white animals get sick. Sheep and horses are most commonly affected. It turned out that the pigment hypericin contained in the herb of St. John's wort makes unpigmented areas of the skin especially sensitive to sunlight. But there is another opinion - the name comes from the Kazakh word "dzhebray", which means a healer of wounds.
The names of St. John's wort in Slavic languages and dialects are extremely numerous and varied. The time of the beginning of flowering, approximately coinciding with the day of John the Baptist, is reflected in a whole group of names: St. Ivanovskaya grass, St. John's potion, Ukrainian. Ivanok, Sventojanske Zilla, Bel. sventajanskaya zellya, svyatayanki, sv. Ivana Zelle, srbh. Ivanovka, Ivanovchitsa, Ivanova grass, St. Ivana, Paul. stojanskie ziele, swietojanskie ziele, swietego Jana korzenie, Old Czech. svateho Jana korenie, Sv. Jana bylina. Another group of names (Ivan's blood, krovavnik, krovyk, seven-brother blood, Ukrainian krivtsya, kravnik, god of krivtsa, Christ's blood, blood of Jesus Christ, blood of St. Ivan, valiant blood, white kryvavets, red grass, Czech krevnicek, krvavnik, puddle konjaca krej) is due to the appearance of the plant: the leaves of some species are dotted with reddish spots, and the infusion has a red color, like the juice of crushed petals. Ukr. seer, Czech prostrelenec, Serbhorv. arrowhead, stretched zezhe reflect another feature of the appearance of the plant - its leaves are covered with small transparent receptacles that look like holes (the same feature is also reflected in the nomenclature name of one of the species - St. John's wort perforated, or pierced).
Obviously, the name St. John's wort should also be included here, which, perhaps, is the result of a folk etymologization of Ukrainian. hole or white jiroboy, with the floor. dziurawiec, as well as plakun, Ukrainian. Mother of God tears. Transparent spots on the leaves of St. John's wort, which look like holes, could well evoke the idea of tears that fell on the leaves, which is reflected in the name. The bright orange-yellow color of the petals, obviously, gave Ukrainian. firefighter, Croatian rusoglavec, Czech. rusohlavec. One of the legends explains the popular names related to St. John's wort, one way or another connected with blood. While the executioner was carrying the head of John the Prophet to Herod's palace, a few drops of his blood fell to the ground. In the place where the blood dripped, grass grew that absorbed it - this was St. John's wort.
There is another legend about the origin of St. John's wort - he grew up under the cross on which Christ was crucified, and received healing power from his blood. In the Serbian folk tradition, this feature of the color of the plant is explained differently: it is the blood of St. The Mother of God, who during menstruation dripped on the leaves of this plant, therefore she was given the name: the Mother of God herb, (as well as the Mother of God, the Mother of God, gospino tsveћe, gospino grass, gospino zeљe). In the vicinity of Nis, there was a different etiological story about the appearance of spots on the leaves of St. Perhaps this story also explains the Serbian name of St. John's wort pљskavitsa (from pљskati - "splash, splash." In the Czech Republic, the existence of transparent receptacles on the leaves of the plant was explained by the fact that the devil, very angry, pierced all its leaves with a needle and released useful juice.
In the old days, St. John's wort was considered a magical plant. In the countryside, when stuffing mattresses for children, Bogorodsk grass was added to the straw so that the child had sweet dreams, and St. John's wort, so that the smell of this plant protected the child from fear in a dream. And adult boys and girls guessed on the stems of St. John's wort. They twist it in their hands and look at what kind of juice has appeared: if it is red, it means they love it, if it is colorless, it does not like it. The old people believed that St. John's wort drives away evil spirits, diseases and protects a person from the attack of wild animals. In medieval England and Germany, bunches of St. John's wort herbs were hung on windows and doors, hidden under the threshold so that evil spirits would not enter the house. In Normandy, St. John's wort, collected on the night before Ivan Kupala, was considered a protective agent against spoilage of cows. In Germany, people wove sashes from St. John's wort, then burned them in a fire lit in honor of St. John, thereby protecting themselves from evil spirits for a whole year. It was also believed that if a person wears St. John's wort grass or puts its stems in shoes, then neither devils nor sorcerers have power over him. In the 17th century John's wort was one of the 12 magical plants of the Rosicrucians.
At one time it was called "Fuga Daemonum" because it wards off evil spirits and prevents ghosts from entering and settling in the house. It was used in love divination, as a remedy against female infertility and the machinations of witches, as well as to protect the house and its inhabitants from fire and lightning. Red spots on its leaves symbolized the blood of John the Baptist; it was believed that they appear every year on August 27, on the day of the Beheading of the saint. Although, like all yellow flowers, St. John's wort always has magical properties, they are most powerful on Midsummer Day. It must be collected on an empty stomach in the early morning, until the dew has dried. If a young girl does this, she can be sure that she will get married this year, and if she puts him under her pillow at night, she will see her betrothed in a dream. If a childless woman goes naked into the garden and picks a St. John's wort flower, she will give birth before the next Midsummer. Similarly, any person who is overcome by evil spirits can collect St. John's wort on Ivan and thus be freed from his troubles. Since magic always works both ways, witches used St. John's wort in their spells, but it was generally considered more dangerous to them than useful.
An old rhyme says:
Clover, verbena, dill, St. John's wort Any witches will overpower the power.
And of the named four, the golden Ivanova grass was considered the most powerful.
In some regions, it was considered deadly to step on a growing St. John's wort. If you do this, a magical horse will grow out of the ground and carry you away. You will have to gallop wildly all night long, and in the morning the horse will be gone, and you will find yourself in some unknown place, in some unknown circumstances, perhaps many miles from home. Another legend says that it is not easy to collect St. John's wort at the right time, because it moves from place to place and eludes the collector. In many parts of the UK, St. John's wort is still considered a lucky herb, although as the once-great Midsummer feast has waned, so has its traditional significance. Although he remained in the popular assessment of the first of herbs, in divination and fortune-telling on the day of the summer solstice - Ivan's day itself - they used not only him. Many plants were under the care of Saint John the Baptist, including fennel, bracken, male fern, hare cabbage, ivy, plantain, daisy, verbena, field chamomile, wormwood, and yarrow. Stowe, in his Survey of London, relates that on Midsummer Eve, houses in that city were decorated with lilies, birch, fennel, hare cabbage, and, of course, Ivan grass. All of these plants possessed some sort of magical power that doubled this season. In addition, it was believed that the flowers collected on this day last longer, and the seeds germinate better.
St. John's wort played an important role in girls' fortune-telling on Ivan's Day: Czech girls twisted the stalks of St. John's wort and looked - red juice - likes, green or colorless - does not like. Serbian girls, wondering about marriage, on this day before dawn threw a wreath of St. John's wort on the roof of the house: if it lingers - it won't get married this year, it will fall right away or fly over - it will. Continuing the theme of love magic, it should be said that Ivanovo flowers were also used as a love spell. In Belarus, the flowers of St. John's wort under the name of St. John's flowers act as the main love potion.
St. John's wort was universally considered a talisman. According to Russian folk belief, he "helps from damage and enemy forces" (Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma provinces). In Bosnia, it was believed that he kept from charms and witchcraft, as well as from evil spirits, so the dried fruits of St. John's wort were placed in amulets. In the Czech Republic, St. John's wort has long been considered an extremely powerful magical herb, which mainly had the power to drive away evil spirits, as well as diseases sent by them. Dried St. John's wort was added to children's straw mattresses so that its smell would protect the child from fear in a dream. It was believed that sorcerers run away when he "rings". Polish women, six weeks after the birth of a child, spread St. John's wort around the room where the child lay and carried it with them to drive out the goddesses. In the vicinity of Krakow, it was believed that evil spirits do not like this plant and avoid it. The mother, trying to protect her newborn child from being replaced by goddesses, had to have St. A similar superstition existed among the inhabitants of the Tatras, where St. John's wort was carried with them as a talisman against the devil. The folklore image of this plant can be quite clearly seen in the Belarusian phraseologism to give the Holy John's potion: "If a guy falls in love with a girl and, overcoming all obstacles, tries to marry her, then they usually say - apparently she gave him the Holy John's potion, understanding by it not everything in general, flowers and herbs, which are also called St. John's, namely one of these two.
The famous naturalists of antiquity Hippocrates, Pliny and Dioscorides wrote about the healing properties of St. John's wort in their writings. In the Middle Ages, numerous diseases were treated with St. In those distant times, both in Russia and in Europe, St. John's wort was considered a magical plant; And the reason for this, probably, is that when rubbing its flowers, a bright purple juice resembling blood is released.
There was a belief among the peoples of different countries that St. John's wort has a special magical and healing power if it is collected on the night before the holiday of Ivan Kupala (June 24, old style). By the way, this belief has a completely scientific explanation. In late June - early July, mass flowering of St. John's wort begins, at this time the aerial part of the plant contains a maximum of active substances. In folk medicine, it was used against depression, hallucinations and nervous disorders, and also as a pain reliever. In Russia, St. John's wort was called the "potion of St. Ivan." In England and America it is called Saint John's herb. In addition to being used in the fortune-telling on Ivan's Day described above, St. John's wort was often included in herbal preparations (although the belief about the enhancement of healing properties on this particular day applies not only to St. John's wort, but also to all other herbs). So, the Czechs collected St. John's wort along with other herbs and left them under the table for two days, believing that they would miraculously acquire healing power. It was also woven into wreaths that were put on the head when the fires of St. John were lit. In the vicinity of Yablonets, in the evening on the eve of Ivan's Day, a bed was covered with St. John's wort, hoping that at night the saint would come and lay his head on the prepared bed. If you saw the trace of his head on the herbs, they said that they became healing. There is a legend that St. John's wort, which blooms at noon on Midsummer Day in Saalenstein Castle (in the Upper Franks), uprooted, helps to extract hidden treasures.
St. John's wort is especially widely used in folk medicine. This is already indicated by such names as healthy grass (for Hypericum perforatum), razorbum (for Hypericum quadrangulum), and twigs (for various species). The plant was used "inside to strengthen the stomach and from pain in the abdomen, in the form of an infusion in water or vodka, also for chest pain, suffocation, cough, and externally for aches, bruises." In Ukrainians, all types are considered medicinal. St. John's wort is called "grass species 99 twig". It was used (mixed with other plants) in the treatment of liver stones, gastrointestinal disorders, a number of women's diseases, lung diseases, inflammatory processes, abscesses, rashes, rheumatism, etc. In Bosnia, St. John's wort was considered a cure for chronic cough. It was also used as a hemostatic agent. In addition, St. John's wort was applied to wounds, believing that it heals them and soothes pain. In the Serbian tradition, it was used for coughs and asthma, menstrual disorders, difficult childbirth, stomach pain; it was also applied to cuts and used for rabies. If a woman could not get pregnant because of witchcraft, then the priest had to bless this herb, then they boiled it and drank it in the morning on an empty stomach for several days; in addition, the woman had to carry it with her. In the Czech Republic, St. John's wort, collected at St. Ivan, mixed in the feed of weak animals. During the excavations of the ancient Slavic settlement of Biskutin, which existed 2500 years ago, 20 herbs were found, including St. John's wort. In the State Archive of Ancient Russian Acts there is a letter issued to the voivode Romodanovsky, in which he was ordered to send St. In Russia, it is associated with the belief that the grass keeps from charms and temptations. St. John's wort has been widely used in folk medicine in many countries as an anti-inflammatory agent, especially in the treatment of diseases of the bronchi and urogenital tract, hemorrhoids, and also as an external agent that promotes the rapid healing of various skin lesions.
(perforated) is a medicinal herb. It can be found in glades, forest edges, in sparse oak and birch groves, among shrubs, along the outskirts of fields, in meadows and in forest belts.
Of the large family of St. John's wort (and there are more than 50 species), only St. John's wort is referred to and used in official medicine.
Description of St. John's wort
- perennial herbaceous plant up to one meter high, has one or more straight cylindrical stems with two longitudinal ribs branched at the top. The leaves are oblong or elliptical, up to three centimeters long and one and a half centimeters wide, with translucent dotted glands scattered over the leaf surface. The flowers are golden yellow, up to three centimeters in diameter, collected in corymbose or broadly paniculate inflorescences at the tops of the stem and shoots. The flower has five petals.
Origin of the name Hypericum
Your "hunting" title grass Hypericum received for the fact that in animals that eat it, swelling occurs on the ears, around the mouth and eyes, which often turn into excruciatingly painful ulcers. At the same time, animals inflict deep, difficult-to-heal wounds on themselves - by biting, hitting trees and the ground. The suffering of an animal sometimes ends in death.
Healing properties of St. John's wort
Healing properties of St. John's wort known from ancient times. In Russia, this plant was called grass from 99 diseases and used in the treatment migraine, lung, hypertension, in diseases respiratory tract, internal organs, with mastitis, cough, hemorrhoids.
And at present, traditional medicine and homeopathy widely use this unique. Scientific medicine has not bypassed his attention either. Preparations made from St. John's wort are used as a wound healing agent for burns, furunculosis, carbuncles, for treatment ulcers as a remedy for spasms blood vessels and improving blood supply to internal organs. Water infusions of St. John's wort are used in veterinary practice in the treatment of certain pet diseases.
St. John's wort harvested during flowering from June to August, cutting off the upper parts of the stems, leaves, flowers, buds and unripe fruits.
Unfortunately, the mass collection of this healing herb can lead to its complete disappearance. Numerous amateur gardeners and owners of household plots can help to preserve and increase stocks of St. John's wort. Growing it is easy. To do this, dried seeds are sown in late autumn without embedding in previously dug up and enriched with fertilizers soil.
flower formula
St. John's wort flower formula: ♀♂ * Ch(5)L5T(∞)+(∞)+(∞)P(3).In medicine
Hypericum infusion is used in the treatment and prevention of gingivitis and stomatitis, to eliminate bad breath and strengthen the gums. St. John's wort preparations are used for biliary dyskinesia, hepatitis, stagnation of bile in the gallbladder, cholecystitis, chronic colitis, with initial symptoms of cholelithiasis, with gastritis with secretory insufficiency, flatulence, as well as with a decrease in the filtration capacity of the kidneys, functional insufficiency of the renal glomeruli with fluid retention and electrolytes in the body. As an aid - in urolithiasis.
Infusions in the form of compresses are used for bleeding and infected wounds, a condensed extract is used to treat vitiligo.
St. John's wort is a component of many pine forests and dietary supplements.
Contraindications and side effects
The drug is non-toxic, however, due to the content of traces of various alkaloids that can cause an exciting effect on the central nervous system, insomnia, photosensitivity, it is contraindicated in pregnant women, during lactation, and children under 12 years of age. Also, the drug has the following contraindications: hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.
Currently, the following information is available on interactions with other drugs: with the combined use of St. inhibitors of the activity of proteolytic enzymes may reduce their effectiveness.
children
As a medicine, an infusion of crushed St. John's wort can be used from the age of 12.
Classification
St. John's wort (common) - lat. Hypericum perforatum L. - belongs to the St. John's wort family (lat. Hypericaceae). There are about 350 species of St. John's wort, 50 species grow in Russia.
Botanical description
Hypericum perforatum is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 30 - 100 cm high. The stem is dihedral, naked in the upper part, oppositely branched. Rhizomes and roots are underdeveloped, slightly branched. The leaves are opposite, sessile, oval or ovate, entire, with translucent glands in the form of black dots. The flowers are collected in a wide paniculate, almost corymbose inflorescence. The calyx consists of 5 lanceolate sepals, the corolla of five yellow-orange petals. The petals are studded with black-brown or purple dots, especially along the edge. Stamens (about 50-60) fused at the base in 3 bunches. The plant blooms in June-August. St. John's wort flower formula - ♀♂ * Ch(5)L5T(∞)+(∞)+(∞)P( 3 ).
The fruit is a three-celled oblong-ovoid capsule 6 mm long, 5 mm wide. Seeds are small, up to 1 mm, cylindrical, brown. The fruits ripen in September-October.
Spreading
St. John's wort grows in deciduous and mixed forests, meadows, clearings, bushes, edges, fallows, clearings, along roads. Distributed in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones of the European part of Russia, in Western and Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia, the Caucasus, the Crimea, Central Asia, Belarus, Ukraine.
Distribution regions on the map of Russia.
Procurement of raw materials
St. John's wort (Hyperici herba) is used as a medicinal raw material. Medicinal raw materials are harvested in the flowering phase, before the appearance of immature fruits. When harvesting, the tops of the plant 25-30 cm long are cut off. The grass is dried in attics, under sheds or in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 40ºС. Sometimes the grass is tied in bundles, which are dried suspended in the shade. As a medicinal raw material, another type of St. John's wort is used - St. John's wort (St. John's wort tetrahedral) - Hypericum maculatum Crantz.
Chemical composition
St. John's wort contains tannins (up to 13%); flavonoids (up to 8%): hyperoside (0.7% in grass, 1.1% in flowers), rutin, quercetin, quercitrin and isoquercitrin; carotene, antibiotic hyperforin; leukoanthocyanides and anthocyanins (5-6%); essential oil (0.1-1.25%), which includes cineole; resins, nicotinic and ascorbic acids, vitamins P and PP, choline, anthocyanins, saponins, alcohols, traces of alkaloids and other compounds.
St. John's wort herb contains dyes: hypericin (up to 0.4%), pseudohypericin, protopseudohypericin, franguloemodinantranol, hypericodihydrodianthrone, pseudohypericodihydrodianthrone.
Pharmacological properties
St. John's wort preparations have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, antispasmodic, diuretic effects, stimulate tissue regeneration. The plant has tonic and hemostatic properties.
St. John's wort flavonoids have an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the intestine, blood vessels, bile ducts and ureter, prevent stagnation of bile in the gallbladder, increase the outflow of bile, prevent the formation of stones, facilitate bile secretion into the duodenum as a result of a decrease in spasm of the sphincter of the hepato-pancreatic ampulla, stop spasms of the large and small intestines, restore normal peristalsis, improving the digestive capacity of the gastrointestinal tract.
St. John's wort relieves spasm of blood vessels and has a capillary-strengthening effect, typical of compounds containing vitamin P. St. John's wort improves venous circulation and blood supply to some internal organs, and also increases diuresis as a result of reducing the tension of the walls of the ureters and a direct increase in filtration in the renal glomeruli.
St. John's wort has photosensitizing properties, that is, it increases the sensitivity of humans and animals to the action of sunlight (this is associated with the presence of hypericin pigment in St. John's wort).
Tannins of the plant have a slight astringent and anti-inflammatory effect, have antimicrobial activity against a number of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics.
The high antibacterial activity of St. John's wort has been established. Plant hyperforin inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, acts on gram-positive microflora in low concentrations, but has almost no effect on gram-negative microorganisms, fungi and actinomycetes. The bactericidal activity of this antibiotic is much lower than bacteriostatic. However, hyperforin has no independent practical significance due to chemical instability and instability of antimicrobial activity.
The bitter substance in aqueous extracts from St. John's wort stimulates gastric secretions.
Hypericin contained in the plant, when taken orally, plays the role of a catalyst for some intracellular reactions and a factor that regulates important vital processes in the body. It also increases the absorption of ultraviolet rays by the skin, however, it does not dissolve in water, therefore it is not determined in infusions and decoctions, but is present in alcohol extracts and in plant juice.
Application in traditional medicine
St. John's wort, infused with vegetable oil, is used to treat bruises, wounds, ulcers, abscesses, and burns. St. John's wort is also used in the treatment of diseases of the lungs, stomach, intestines and gallbladder, with diarrhea and nervous disorders. In Czech medicine, it is believed that St. John's wort has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and has anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. Ancient Slovak medicine recommends St. John's wort for diseases of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and gallbladder.
History reference
St. John's wort as a medicinal plant has been used for a long time. The first mention of the plant dates back to the time of Hippocrates (460-377 BC). Dioscorides prescribed to take the seeds of St. John's wort with honey; Pliny wrote about the plant. Paracelsus used St. John's wort to treat wounds, contusions, bleeding, abscesses. During the excavations of the settlement of Biskupin (Poland), which existed about 2500 years ago, the remains of St. John's wort were found among the medicinal collections. In Russia, St. John's wort was considered a herb for 99 diseases. By order of Tsar Mikhail in Siberia, St. John's wort was collected, dried, ground into flour and sent to Moscow "a pood every year."
Literature
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2. State Register of Medicines. Moscow 2004.
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5. P.S. Chikov. "Medicinal plants" M.: Medicine, 2002.
6. Sokolov S.Ya., Zamotaev I.P. Handbook of medicinal plants (phytotherapy). – M.: VITA, 1993.
7. Mannfried Palov. "Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants". Ed. cand. biol. Sciences I.A. Gubanov. Moscow, Mir, 1998.
8. Turova A.D. "Medicinal plants of the USSR and their application". Moscow. "The medicine". 1974.
9. Lesiovskaya E.E., Pastushenkov L.V. "Pharmacotherapy with the basics of herbal medicine." Tutorial. – M.: GEOTAR-MED, 2003.
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Hypericum perforatum (common) is a herbaceous plant of the St. John's wort family (lat. Hypericaceae).
The botanical name is Hypericum.
Generic name - St. John's wort.
Folk names - hare blood, St.
St. John's wort is a grass, up to 80 cm high, with a branched thin rhizome and numerous adventitious roots. Stems erect, thin, dihedral, glabrous.
The leaves are opposite, small, oval or oblong, entire, with translucent glands in the form of black dots, sessile. The flowers are golden yellow with black dots, in dense corymbose inflorescences.
The fruit is a trihedral box, opening with three wings, with small seeds.
St. John's wort blooms in June - August. It grows in meadows, forest edges, in sparse deciduous and pine forests on sandy slopes, clearings, fallows, along roads in the southern half of the forest and in the forest-steppe zones of the Northern Hemisphere.
Several species of St. John's wort are found in Russia, of which the most common in European Russia are St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) and St. John's wort (Hypericum quadrangulum L.).
Both of these plants are perennial herbs with persistent rhizomes. The second type is distinguished by a tetrahedral stem. Both species are considered by the people to be medicinal, and preparations from these plants are used for many diseases.
St. John's wort herb collection
St. John's wort is harvested when it is in full bloom (on Midsummer Day - June 24). It is cut off near the ground, tied into bundles and dried in the air in a shaded place. For the manufacture of medicines, the entire ground part of the plant is used.
Composition, medicinal properties and use of St. John's wort
The medicinal properties of St. John's wort were noticed in ancient times. It is believed that the more understandable Russian word "St. John's wort" originates from the Kazakh "Jeroboy" - "wound healer".
All parts of St. John's wort contain coloring matter, as well as (up to 1%) flavonoids. essential oil (more than 1%) and up to 13% tannins. There are organic acids, in particular isovaleric.
In addition, St. John's wort is rich in vitamins: ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid, vitamins P and PP, as well as carotene. There is ceryl alcohol, choline and traces of alkaloids in the herb.
St. John's wort has a pronounced bactericidal effect.
Both in folk and scientific medicine, preparations from St. John's wort are used as astringents, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents that promote the rapid regeneration of damaged tissues.
Hypericum preparations (infusions, decoctions) are taken orally for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Used for rinsing with stomatitis, inflammation in the mouth and throat, as well as for lubricating the gums with inflammation.
St. John's wort preparations are widely used externally, especially for extensive and deep burns (I and II degrees), for the treatment of wounds and other various skin lesions: for boils, abscesses, ulcers, mastitis, and inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
Not so long ago, medical scientists discovered another property of St. John's wort. As a result of clinical trials, the antidepressant effect of St. John's wort concentrate, its positive effect on the nervous system, was established.
A huge plus of this discovery was the absence of those contraindications and side effects that become constant companions of chemical antidepressants. The drug "Gelarium", based on St. John's wort concentrate, is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate depression.
Recipes for the use of St. John's wort in folk medicine
The water infusion of St. John's wort has a reddish color; it used to be thought that it was “well done” or “hare blood”. In one of the ancient herbalists we read:
St. John's wort is a valiant blood-grass, its infusion is used in the form of lotions from bruises, abrasions, external abscesses and lesions.
In Russia, St. John's wort was so popular that the people called it (and not without reason) "The cure for 99 ailments." Especially favorite was St. John's wort tea - it was steamed and drunk for various ailments, and just as a pleasant drink. The people said:
Just as it is impossible to bake bread without flour, so many diseases cannot be cured without St. John's wort.
An infusion of St. John's wort was drunk for colds, pain in the heart, and as a general tonic.
Recipes for some decoctions and infusions from St. John's wort.
For rheumatism, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, diseases of the bladder, urinary incontinence in children, hemorrhoids, gout and tuberculosis, a decoction is prepared: take 10 g of grass, pour 1 glass of hot water, boil for 30 minutes over low heat, cool for 10 minutes, strain and squeeze.
The resulting decoction is taken 1/3 cup 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
For diseases of the liver and gallbladder take a mixture consisting of 10 g of St. John's wort, 15 g of sandy cumin flowers, 10 g of couch grass roots and 20 g of buckthorn bark. This mixture is poured into 1/2 liter of hot water, simmered for 10 minutes, insisted, filtered and taken 100 g 5 times a day.
For the preparation of decoctions and infusions, it is recommended to use melt water, which, unlike tap water, is devoid of many harmful impurities.
Hypericum herb tincture prepared on 40% alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Take it as an astringent and as an anti-inflammatory rinse for the gums and mouth (30-40 drops in 1/2 cup of water). Sometimes the tincture is also prescribed for internal use (40-50 drops each).
St. John's wort juice, stripped down by half, prepare an ointment in butter in a ratio of 1: 4, store in a cold place. Ointment is used for various skin lesions.
St. John's wort tea is a tonic and healthy drink. It is good to drink it in winter, this tea has no side effects and acts mainly on the nervous system. St. John's wort tea is drunk for colds, as it helps to restore weakened immunity, it is also useful for digestive disorders.
St. John's wort tea drink is an effective remedy for depressive states, fears and nervous anxiety, poor sleep.
Naturally, in order to achieve tangible results, it is necessary to use tea for several weeks in courses with obligatory breaks.
St. John's wort tea is also good after a bath, when blood circulation is improved and with it an intensive process of assimilation of useful and medicinal substances by the body takes place.
St. John's wort tea recipe is very simple: it is recommended to brew it in a porcelain teapot, it must be scalded with boiling water before use. To prepare tea, you need to take about 10 g of dried leaves and flowers of St. John's wort and pour 200 ml of boiling water over them, leave for a few minutes and the tea is ready. The drink is recommended to be consumed invariably fresh.
Also, St. John's wort in the form of tea is often combined with many herbs - for example mint, oregano, wild rose, chamomile, currant leaves, thyme. Good honey will not only add a piquant flavor to this drink, but also enhance its benefits.
St. John's wort oil
To prepare the oil extract, take 20-25 g of fresh chopped leaves and flowers of St. through 2-3 layers of gauze. Store the product in a dark bottle.
St. John's wort oil is also used, cooked in olive (sunflower, linseed) oil and wine. Take 500 g of fresh flowers and leaves of St. John's wort, pour 1 liter of sunflower oil and 0.5 liter of dry white wine, mix everything well and infuse for 3 days. The wine is then evaporated.
The oil was used to treat long-term non-healing wounds, ulcers and bedsores by applying dressings. This remedy has also been used successfully in the treatment of gastric ulcers. For this, the oil extract was taken in 1 tbsp. spoon on an empty stomach or 3-4 hours after eating for 1-2 months.
St. John's wort oil is also used in dentistry for the treatment of stomatitis. By the way, it does not have an irritating property.
St. John's wort - video
Hypericum perforatum contraindications
St. John's wort can be both useful and have a number of contraindications. These contraindications must be taken into account when treating this plant. St. John's wort is considered slightly toxic, therefore, with prolonged use of the herb, an unpleasant sensation in the liver area and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth may develop.
Also, long-term use of decoctions, teas and infusions in your treatment can increase blood pressure and provoke narrowing of blood vessels. Therefore, people suffering from hypertension and vascular diseases need to reduce the dosage and duration of taking the herb.
If you are taking antibiotics, it is best to stop taking St. John's wort. St. John's wort can negatively affect the optic nerve. And also, women who use contraceptives need to know that some of the components that make up St. John's wort can reduce the effects of drugs.
With prolonged use of the herb, St. John's wort can lead to constipation and decreased appetite.