St. John’s Wort

St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) comes from the genus Hypericum and the species H. perforatum. St. John’s wort is sometimes also referred to as Klamath’s weed, Tipton’s weed or goat weed. There are approximately 370 different species of St. John’s wort found growing throughout the world. The plant grows best in temperate areas such as the subtropical parts of North America, Asia, Europe, India, China and Russia

St. John’s wort is a perennial plant that has yellow flowers with five petals each and is harvested on or around June 24^th every year, which is St. John Baptist day (or St. John’s day). The plant got is start in Europe before being introduced to North American meadows.

St. John’s wort is an herb that has traditionally been used for a number of centuries to treat a variety of stress related disorders such as anxiety as well as mental problems and pain in the nerves. Herbalists from centuries ago used St. John’s wort as a form of a sedative as well as a treatment when patients came down with malaria. St. John’s wort was also used in days past to treat minor wounds of the skin, mosquito bites and burns. The most common uses for this herb in modern times include depression, anxiety and Sleep disorders such as insomnia. It is the flowering tops of the plant that are medicinal in nature and are used to create tablets and teas. Concentrated extracts of St. John’s wort are used to help calm and soothe patients.

Research studies into whether or not St. John’s wort is effective in treating mild to moderate depression have yielded mixed results. The NCCAM is presently studying St. John’s wort closely to see if it can effectively help those who suffer from a variety of types of mood disorders, and in particular minor bouts of depression.