St John’s Wort: Discovering and using the medicinal plant of summer
As the days grow longer and sunnier, the season for St John’s Wort begins. From June onwards, this versatile medicinal plant thrives best in sunny, dry and stony locations. It has been valued for centuries for its beneficial properties – both in naturopathy and in modern herbal medicine. Harvesting it correctly When collecting St. John’s wort, timing is crucial. It is best to cut the plant with scissors a few centimetres above the ground. Important: only harvest in good weather! Warm, sunny days ensure that the valuable active ingredients are at their best. How to recognise genuine St John’s Wort Genuine St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) can be clearly identified by a number of characteristic features: • The bright yellow flowers consist of five petals and numerous stamens. If you rub them between your fingers, a reddish colour emerges. • The stem is two-sided. • When held up to the light, the leaves appear ‘perforated’ – an effect caused by fine, transparent oil glands. Makin...
