St John’s Wort, Hypericum Perforatum & Midsummer
By Cynthia Killingbeck CH, CN, FEP
June 24th Midsummer is also called The Feast of St. John The Baptist. St. John’s Wort is traditionally harvested on Midsummer Day. Many herbalists make flower essences from 10a to 2pm during the most intense heat and energetic power of the Sun during the day. Infusing the energy of the flowers into spring water and making a most beautiful medicine.
I’ve mentioned flower essences before, but they deserve greater attention as an amazing balancing and powerful medicine for our emotional bodies. Flower Essences are energetic vibrational medicine that are used to help balance our many different emotional states. They can be subtle or potent but powerful in both cases. Flower Essences are floral infusions heated by the sun’s solar energy and steeped in living mineral rich spring water. Water all over the earth is affected by its environment and what it comes into contact with. We are made mostly of water and gain our energy from the sun directly with Vitamin D production through our skin and by the plant and animal nutrients we eat. All living things require water, solar energy from the sun and minerals from the earth to survive. Every flower carries its own energetic emotional gift to us.
The system of Flower Essences was brought into being in 1930 by Edward Bach M.D. and since then just like all the flowers on the earth blossomed and spread.Hypericum perforatum or St. John’s Wort flower essence is for someone feeling psychic or physical vulnerability, someone having fearful or disturbed dreams, an individual feeling depression due to lack of contact with the spiritual world. Hypericum illuminates our consciousness, filling us with a light-filled awareness, it fills us with the light of the sun and provides solar strength. ‘It can help regulate and sustain light within souls that are too depressed ("deep-pressed"). Those who are prone to melancholia, and especially those who experience depression due to light deprivation…. St. John's Wort is one of the premier remedies for protection during the night-time and is indicated for a wide variety of sleep disturbances such as insomnia, nightmares, night-sweats and night-time incontinence.
Though the St. John's Wort herb has become popular for its ability to successfully treat depression, a deeper understanding of this five-pointed, radiant yellow-blossomed plant, is that it helps the soul encounter darkness, and gives protection from negative spiritual entities.’ (Flower Essence Society)
Hypericum derives its name from the God of the Sun Helios. The Greek Titan Hyperion and Theia were the parents of Helios the Sun. Helios is also known as Helios Hyperion. The name Hypericum in Greek means ‘over or above the heath’. Perforatum means ‘perforation’. If you look closely at the gorgeous yellow petals of the flowers, they have tiny little holes in them. They are five petal flowers and I feel very magical in the shape of a pentagram.
Clinical actions of Hypericum: Alterative, Nervine, mild sedative/hypnotic, anodyne, antidepressant, anxiolytic, and mild live stimulant.
Contraindications: the connection to the liver and the way it supports detoxification through the liver makes it contraindicated for many prescription drugs. Do not take this with SSRI’s as it has an adverse effect, by clearing drugs from your system before they can do their jobs can certainly harm you as you will not be getting the medicine you need as you need it. Always consult your doctor and inform your herbalist before taking an herb if you are taking prescription drugs of any kind. The standardized extracts on the market today can also cause photosensitivity in some people however it is very.
I like using St. John’s Wort in an infusion formula to support liver clearance of stress hormones and excess hormones by encouraging their breakdown in the liver. It is lovely in relaxing evening formulas.
St John's Wort Infused Oil
Hypericum shows its connection to the sun when you make an infused oil, it is a bright red. I began my most resent oil on Midsummer day. This oil is extremely powerful for burns including sunburns. A few years ago, I participated in a Fire Walk. I had done this before with no issues, but this time I did get a hot coal stuck to my foot and suffered a 2nd degree burn on the bottom of my foot. I was very concerned as the pain was so intense, I could barely stand it. I was at a women’s conference and we still had two days to go of walking all day and meetings. I put ice on the burn first but as you know ice only works on the pain when it is in direct contact, and the pain floods back in when you take it off. When I got home that night, I took the St. John’s Wort oil I had in my fridge and put it on a cotton pad and taped it to my foot. The relief was quick, and I NEVER felt the pain again while it was healing and I kept replacing the pad. If I ever needed proof of its healing power that was it and I will never use anything else except maybe Aloe on a burn. (Always start with ice or cold water though). The burns healed within a week and the blisters never swelled or broke they just healed perfectly with no scars either.
The tincture also turns a beautiful red. I was told once that St. John’s Wort is good for any inflammation due to the red color of its medicine. This is how I associate it, red, fire, sun, heat…inflammation includes heat and pain in the five stages. (Pain, Redness (heat), Swelling, Pus (white blood cells), healing (scaring)). So, you see it is much more than just for depression or anxiety. I feel very close to my plants and I feel St. John’s Wort, or Hypericum is a sacred plant and beautiful.
In Colorado it is considered an invasive weed and just like the humble yet powerful Dandelion it is undervalued and underused. May you find a place for it in your garden and in your medicine chest as well as in your heart. Blessed Be!
Resources: Herbal Vade Mecum Pg. 359-360, Energetics of Western Herbs Vol 2 Pg. 504, Integrative Herbalism Course Notes Nervine Materia Medica Pg. 5, Herbal Actions Database Pg. 57, Personal class notes, Personal Experience