St John’s Wort
Hypericum perforatum
In cosmetics
Whether you have oily or dry skin, this herb helps to kill bacteria and calm irritation so your skin looks smoother and healthier. Plus, it helps plump and hydrate skin while restoring elasticity, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
An oil can be made from St. John’s wort. Some people apply this oil to their skin to treat bruises and scrapes, inflammation and muscle pain, first degree burns, wounds,bug bites, hemorrhoids, and nerve pain. But applying St. John’s wort directly to the skin is risky. It can cause serious sensitivity to sunlight.
The fresh flowers of St. Johns when infused in oil produce a beautiful and powerful red oil that is anti-inflammatory and analgesic. This therapeutic oil has so many uses that you can sum it up by saying if it hurts, soothe it with St. Johns Oil. Some of the skin care uses for this oil include healing burns and damaged skin. Use St. Johns wort oil to calm the pain of sciatica, arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscle aches, PMS and breast tenderness.
Parts Used
Herb tops, flowers
As a medicine
Medicinal Uses
Anxiety, aromatherapy, arthritis, bed wetting/incontinence, burns, congestion, depression, ear, fibromyalgia, flu, herpes/cold sores, lupus, nerve/back pain, pms, rheumatoid_arthritis, skin care
Properties
Anodyne, antidepressant, antioxidant, astringent, cholagogue, midsummer, nervine, vulnerary.
St. John’s wort is most commonly used for depression and conditions that sometimes go along with depression such as anxiety, tiredness, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. There is some strong scientific evidence that it is effective for mild to moderate depression.
Other uses include heart palpitations, moodiness and other symptoms of menopause, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
St. John’s wort has been tried for exhaustion, stop-smoking help, fibromyalgia,chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), migraine and other types of headaches, muscle pain, nerve pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. It is also used for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis C.
Contraindications
But applying St. John’s wort directly to the skin is risky. It can cause serious sensitivity to sunlight.
