Latin (Botanical) Name: Hypericum perforatum
Plant Family: Hypericaceae
Common Extraction Method: Maceration
Typically Used Plant Part: Flowers
Color: Red
Aromatic Characteristic: Herbal, rich, floral, powdery aroma 
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), found in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and the USA, is a bushy perennial with distinctive yellow, five-petaled flowers and yellow-green leaves.
St. John's Wort grows wild in forests, bushes, roadsides and meadows. Yellow flowers give a dark red oil when soaked in olive oil. Its color comes from hypericin, a red pigment believed to be one of the active ingredients along with hyperforin. The plant also contains flavonoids and tannins.
St. John's Wort has been used for over 2000 years to treat nervous disorders. It was popular in ancient Greece and Rome as a healing remedy for wounds, as well as burns, bruises, and nerve pains. It was also believed to drive away evil spirits. The insane were encouraged to drink St. John's Wort oil to get rid of their insanity.
European peasants thought the plant protected them from evil spirits, witches, demons, and lightning.
Some of the information on the use of the plant comes from the Greek herbalist Pedanios Dioskourides of the 1st century AD, as well as the contemporary physicians Galinos of Greece and Plenius of Rome. It is also mentioned in the sources that the famous Swiss alchemist and physician Paracelsus (1493-1541) used St. John's Wort.
St. John's Wort is now known as a natural mood booster, although it is a traditional herbal remedy and pain reliever. At least 30 studies in more than 1,700 patients show that St. John's wort can be an effective remedy for mood disorders without the side effects of more traditional anti-depressants.
It offers many benefits thanks to the fatty acids it contains.
KEY COMPONENTS / ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
BENEFITS
It helps to treat wounds, bruises and burns [1] [2] [3] [4].
It helps to reduce pain in conditions such as trauma, burns, rheumatism.
It helps relieve symptoms of depression [6] [7]. However, it is not recommended for people with severe depression. The active components of hypericin, hyperforin and adhyperforin contained in St. John's wort help to increase the levels of chemical messengers such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, thus raising and regulating your mood [4].
WARNINGS
ACADEMIC STUDIES
[1] A. Yücel, Y. Kan, E. Yesilada, O. Akın (2017). Effect of St.John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) oily extract for the care and treatment of pressure sores; a case report. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Jan 20;196:236-241.
[2] S. Kıyan, Y. Uyanıkgil, Y. A. Altuncı, T. Çavuşoğlu, E. Ö. Ç. Uyanıkgil, F. Karabey (2015). Investigation of acute effects of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort-Kantaron) treatment in experimental thermal burns and comparison with silver sulfadiazine treatment. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg, September 2015, Vol. 21, No. 5.
[3] U. Wölfle, G. Seelinger, C. M. Schempp (2014). Topical Application of St. Johnʼs Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Planta Med 2014; 80: 109–120.
[4] T. Belwal, H. P. Devkota, M. K. Singh, R. Sharma, S. Upadhayay, C. Joshi, K. Bisht, J. K. Gour, I. D. Bhatt, R. S. Rawal, V. Pande (), St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Nonvitamin and Nonmineral Nutritional Supplements. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812491-8.00056-4.
[5] I. A. Bukahri, A. Dar, R. A. Khan (2004). Antinociceptive Activity of Methanolic Extracts of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) Preparation. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 17, No.2, July 2004, pp.13-19.
[6] E. A. Apaydin, A. R. Maher, R. Shanman, M. S. Booth, J. N. V. Miles, M. E. Sorbero, S. Hempel (2016). A systematic review of St. John’s wort for major depressive disorder. Syst Rev. 2016; 5(1): 148.
[7] Q. X. Ng, N. Venkatanarayanan, C. Y. X. Ho (2017). Clinical use of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) in depression: A meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2017 Mar 1;210:211-221.
