St. John's Wort

Hypericum perforatum

Monograph

1. Plant Family:
• Hypericaceae, formerly Guttiferae/Clusiaceae family ^[1]
• The common name St. John’s wort comes from the traditional flowering and harvesting on St. John’s Day. The translation from Greek of Hypericum is above (hyper) and picture (eikon). This name originated from the tradition of warding off evil with this plant by hanging plants over religious icons on St. John’s Day. ^[1]
2. Habitat & Cultivation:
• St. John’s wort is native to parts of Europe and Asia but has spread to temperate regions worldwide as a cosmopolitan invasive weed. When the leaves are viewed up close (held up towards light) they have many tiny little spots on them like pinholes (“perforated” like the name perforatum).  These spots are actually translucent glands, not holes. When the flower heads are pinched and squeezed in the fingers, a red pigment can be seen left on the fingers.  This has a very distinct SJW fragrance.  When making SJW tincture, the tincture almost immediately turns red once alcohol is poured over the plant.  This is in part due to the compound hypericin. ^[1]
3. Parts Used:
• Aerial parts ^[1]
4. Herbal Actions:
• Antidepressant
• Nervine Tonic
• Antiviral
• Vulnerary
• Antimicrobial (topically)
• Anti-inflammatory
• Astringent ^[1]
5. Indications:
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Nervousness
• Wound healing ^[1]
6. Plant Constituents:
• Flavonoids, phenolic acids, naphthodianthrones, phloroglucinols, tannins, volatile oils, saturated fatty acids, alkanols, carotenoids, nicotinic acid ^[2]
7. System Affinities:
• Nervous system
• Immune system
• Integumentary system ^[1]  
8. Energetics:
• Cooling
• Clear
• Drying
• Stimulating (mobile)
• Light ^[1]  
9. Safety:
• Pregnancy Category B1: No increased risk of teratogenic effects noted with limited use during pregnancy; minor adverse effects/teratogenic effects noted with high dose use in mice, however how this translates to effects on the human fetus is unknown. ^[1]
• Lactation Category CC: May be used during breastfeeding, however it should be used cautiously and under the supervision of a healthcare provider; because SJW penetrates through the blood-brain barrier poorly, it is likely that it would cross the breast milk compartment poorly as well.^[1]
10. Interactions:
• The following drugs may be affected by SJW:

• Immunosuppressants
• Anticoagulants
• Antiarrhythmics
• Calcium-channel blockers
• Anti-anginals
• Hormonal contraceptives
• Anxiolytics
• Antidepressants
• Antivirals
• Statins
• Anticancer drugs (chemotherapy and other)
• Beta-adrenergic blockers
• Hypoglycemics
• Antiulcer agents
• Antifungals
• Anticonvulsants
• Skeletal muscle relaxants
• Antihistamines ^[1]

Personal Experience

1. Organoleptics:
• The tincture provided is brownish-red. It is hard to distinguish the taste of the SJW from the menstruum, but it does have a drying effect on my tongue. It is bitter and kind of reminds me of dark chocolate. It is a bit spicy like cinnamon.
2. Preparation Method:
• Tincture: 1:2 or 1:5, 40-60 drops, 3-4x/day.
• Tea: Add 2 tsp dried herb to 8oz hot water, steep 30-40 minutes. Take 4oz 3-4x/day.
• Capsules: Take a capsule containing 350mg of standardized extracted three times per day
• Infused oil: Applied topically as needed.
3. Usage Notes: 
• I used the tincture provided by the instructor during our onsite day today. I enjoyed the taste, and took 2 dropperfuls 4 times throughout the day. It was hard to tell if my mood was lifted, but I did feel some soothing of my tremors (I hadn’t taken my medication all day). By the end of the day I was in a great mood, but I'm always uplifted when I'm around my cohort. Overall I'd call it a success. 

Sources:

1. Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L. (2018). Week 4 Study Questions. Bastyr University: WI-18_MW5122-A Botanicals 2: Postpartum.
2. Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L. (2018). Nervines Powerpoint. Bastyr University: WI-18_MW5122-A Botanicals 2: Postpartum