St Johns Worts

[Splatty Simon]

I have various species of St Johns Worts growing in profusion around
me, but none of them seem to be the Hypericum perforata that is
normally used as herbal medicine (see a good flora to check out the
subtle differences between the various St Johns Worts). Does anyone
know if the other species of St Johns Worts are also usable as herbal teas, in
the same way as H. perforata?

 

[Toddy]

As far as I know they are, but the perforatum variety is considered the medicinal one, more potent so to speak, and has more oil. The little pockets of it show up clearly when you hold a leaf up to the Sun.
It's a weed in my garden, literally. Do you want some seedlings ? It manages to self seed in every crevice it can get to. Very pretty and not really a problem, just it makes the paths look incredibly unkempt if I don't weed them out.

Could you do me a favour please ? I originally grew it for dye, and though I get good golds and greens from it I don't get the reds that I know can be obtained from St John's wort. The very centre of the little flowers, if squished with a thumb nail ought to give off a little puff of red colouring. My plants have hardly any of this. Any chance you could check the ones that you have growing and see if they give off red easily, please ? If they do, do your self seed ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

Leave it dry hung in sunny window should go red, or steep in oil in sunny window. It takes a few weeks for the red to show.

Other varieties should work as a tea, just not as medically strong. I treat SJW as a drug like meadowsweet not a food like i would with chamomile, please don't mix any other drug with it especially things that effect your brain chemistry.

 

[Toddy]

I get the red oil fine, I just don't get the depth of red colour that I'm told ought to come from it in the dyebath.

Seconds on the don't mix with medicines, from the pill to anti depressants, it mucks around with them all.

cheers,
M

 

[Splatty Simon]

Kind of what I reckoned about using the 'other' varieties of SJW. I've dried some and tried it as herbal tea - tastes similar-but-slightly different to the normal herbal tea bags you'd get in a health food shop (having said that, I've noticed most health food shops seem to have stopped selling it - due to scares?).

Does anyone know more about the photo-sensitivity issue: how long a gap should you leave before drinking it and going in bright sunlight? Is it best to avoid it all together during sunny spells? Or is it OK if you drink it in the evening, and then have the night to sleep it off before the sun comes up? Should I have it only in winter?

I'll post if I see any signs of the red colour.