The scientific name for St John's Wort is Hypericum Perforatum. St John's Wort is a hedgerow plant with yellow flowers that grows throughout Asia and Europe. Historians believe the plant was dubbed 'St John's Wort' by early Christians who noticed it blooming around June 24th, John the Baptist's birthday. According to legend, the plant's red oil also represents the blood of St John, who was beheaded. From a herbal medicine point of view, St John's Wort's flowers are the part that contain the greatest concentration of beneficial ingredients, but the whole plant is used in homeopathy.
Health Benefits Of St John's Wort
St John's Wort is well known as a natural, herbal antidepressant. It acts in a similar way to certain pharmaceutical antidepressants, but with fewer side effects. Active ingredients, including hypericins and hyperforins, act together to increase levels of the mood lifting brain chemical, serotonin. They also have a beneficial effect on a number of other important neurotransmitters, by processes as yet not fully understood.
In particular, St John's wort is thought to relieve seasonal affective disorder, which many people suffer from during the winter.
St John's Wort can also help alleviate stress and anxiety and be beneficial for people who experience panic attacks.
Taking St John's Wort regularly may also ease insomnia and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and the menopause.
Dosage
A daily intake of St John's Wort should contain at least 900ug of the ingredient hypericin to have any noticeable benefits.
Take St John's Wort for at least a month before judging its effectiveness.
Caution
It is thought that St John's Wort may interact with certain drugs, including other antidepressants and the contraceptive pill. If you are on other medication, check with a qualified medical practitioner before taking doses of St John's Wort supplement.
