St. John’s wort L.
The St. John’s wort family is Hypericaceae
What does it look like? A perennial herbaceous plant 30-100 cm tall, with stems that grow back every year. Stems are two-sided, smooth, straight, branched in the upper part. The leaves are opposite, oval, rounded, sessile, with abundant spots that shine through. Inflorescences are dense, many-flowered. The sepals of the flowers are lanceolate, sharp, the petals are yellow (in some species with black spots), when crushed in the fingers, they turn purple. The taste of the plant is tart (tannins), the smell is delicate, specific. The plant is not very poisonous. Blooms from the end of June to September.
Where does it grow? Throughout the territory of Ukraine — on borders, meadows, forest plantations, by roads, in thickets, on fallows, on dry meadows.
What and when are collected? The entire upper part of the stem with branches and leaves, during flowering, more often – the flowers themselves.
When is it used? As an appetite stimulant, it has an astringent effect in colitis (effect of tannin-like flavonoids) and heals wounds (antibacterial effect). In a mixture, this “herb from 99 diseases” is used for liver diseases and gallstones, for jaundice, acute and chronic inflammation of the kidneys, as a diuretic and expectorant, for stomach catarrh and diarrhea, bleeding, disorders of the nervous system, insomnia, night incontinence urine (alternately with the tincture of the seeds of common parilla on wine) – 1 glass of St. John’s wort tea before going to bed treats even “sleepwalkers”. St. John’s wort stimulates the action of the heart, increases blood pressure, narrows blood vessels (action of choline), relieves pain.
Used in the form of tea. For 1 cup of boiling water, take 1 tablespoon of St. John’s wort flowers and leaves (or a mixture) and infuse for 10 minutes. Drink 2 glasses during the day after meals. Treatment is long. Large doses (3-4 glasses per day) cure chronic diarrhea. The following infusion is also useful for diarrhea: take 1 tablespoon of a mixture (equally) of St. John’s wort and yarrow in 1 glass of boiling water, infuse and drink on an empty stomach. For liver diseases (with constipation), take 1 tablespoon of a mixture of St. John’s wort , cumin, and buckthorn bark in a ratio of 2:3:2 for 1 cup of water, boil for 7-10 minutes (without buckthorn, steam all night) and drink 5 cups every day. For gastritis with increased acidity, see Mint is cold.
The plant contains about 10-20% tannins, derived mainly from pyrocatechin, volatile oil, 5-6% anthocyanins (glycosides that normalize the condition of the walls of blood vessels and blood pressure), flavonoid glycoside hyperoside, glycoside hyperin, triterpene saponins, resinous substances, the yellow dye hypericin, choline, vitamin C and carotene, phytoncides and the antibiotic imanin. This explains the versatile therapeutic effect of St. John’s wort, which enhances photosynthetic processes in the body, which, among other things, makes it more effective in malignant tumors (alcohol and oil tinctures).
In case of mental fatigue, nervous tension, insomnia, a glass of steam from 1 tablespoon of a mixture of St. John’s wort , yarrow grass (or flowers) and angelica root (equal to 1 glass of boiling water) works very well. They drink at night, half an hour before going to bed. St. John’s wort in this mixture strengthens and regenerates the nerves, treats insomnia and neuroses, diseases of the liver and digestive tract. This is an excellent medicine for mental fatigue and functional exhaustion of the nervous system.
Geranium has a sedative and anticonvulsant effect, regulates digestion and bile secretion, angelica has a strengthening and calming effect on the cerebral cortex, the vegetative system and the digestive tract, reduces headaches, chronic nicotine poisoning, and prevents nervous exhaustion.
It is also applied externally: take 2-3 full handfuls of St. John’s wort for 1 liter of high-quality oil (you can use sunflower oil) and leave it in the sun for 14 days in a closed bottle. Then add the same amount of St. John’s wort flowers and infuse them until the oil turns dark red. This oil is used to lubricate wounds that do not heal well after scalds and frostbite of the II and III degrees, cracked nipples (you can also use this oil internally on the 1st table several times a day for inflammatory processes in the stomach, intestines, liver, spleen and kidneys; for pain in the lower back and general weakening). Coupled with 1 handful of St. John’s wort flowers, taken in half a liter of boiling water, wet a cloth and apply it to purulent wounds, and rinse your mouth with it to strengthen the gums. They are used for douching in case of baldness — in a mixture (equally) with oak bark, nettle roots, rose petals, cumin flowers, buckwheat grass, white mistletoe, willow bark, flax seeds, comfrey root, altea root, pepper mustard grass, and marigold flowers. Boil 4 spoons of this mixture in 2-3 liters of water for 20 minutes and wash the vagina twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, with a hot decoction.
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