St. John's wort medicinal plant and its uses. St. John's wort medicinal properties and contraindications. Recipes for the use of St. John's wort in folk medicine

In the second half of summer, fields, meadows, forest edges look like chickens. They are covered with small bright yellow flowers. And there are so many of them that it can be easily confused with weeds - well, a cultivated plant cannot grow in such quantity. Indeed, it is not a weed. Yellow flowers- This medicinal plant, which is called St. John's wort, you will recognize it immediately from the photo. It smells of St. John's wort in summer, honey, meadow herbs, morning dew.

Among the people, St. John's wort is valued for its healing power, because St. John's wort, Wikipedia claims, is able to overcome neither more nor less, but 99 diseases. But be careful. St. John's wort can only save people from 99 misfortunes. For animals, namely for livestock, it is a poison. Where do you think the herb got its name from?

St. John's wort. Useful properties and contraindications

St. John's wort blooms in summer. And then you can pick it up and prepare it for home herbal preparations. This is easy to do - just dry the flowers in the shade, and then rub them dry with your hands. Stems easily part with dry flowers and leaves. And you can decorate your house with dried flowers.

This herb is very useful and complex in composition, so list the substances and components included in chemical composition, we will not. It is better to pay more attention to how useful St. John's wort - grass, medicinal properties which have been valued since the time of Ancient Rus', when medicine was still in its infancy.

St. John's wort is medicine not only traditional medicine. Traditional medicine also does not “flap its ears”. She uses St. John's wort to the fullest, the medicinal properties of which chemists and physicians have studied up and down, adding it to homeopathic preparations. Medicines such as Novoimanin and Imanin are made from St. John's wort. It has been proven that the extract of the plant eliminates inflammation and destroys pathogenic microbes. And therefore, these drugs are used for wounds, even purulent ones, for burns of varying degrees, for sinusitis, mastitis, pharyngitis and some other diseases. And psychiatrists prescribe the medicine Gelarium for depression. The basis of the medicine is the same - St. John's wort.

In folk medicine, St. John's wort treats many (remember how many?) Diseases.

• St. John's wort is priceless as a tonic and astringent. It should be on hand for coughs, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, gum and liver disease. The grass is even able to stop the blood, making it thicker.
• Some drugs prescribed by doctors for rheumatism, ulcers of various origins, gout, stress, depression, diarrhea, or the presence of helminths also contain flowers, leaves, and an extract from St. John's wort.
• And dentists advise rinsing your teeth with a decoction of a plant to get rid of a bad smell, stop bleeding gums, and relieve inflammation.
• St. John's wort will help (use and recipes will be a little later) and those who suffer from pain in the liver, stomach, kidneys, intestines and gallbladder. It strengthens the stool, relieves pain in gastritis, heals an ulcer.
• And if you enter a drug containing St. John's wort extract, intravenously, the heart begins to work better, more rhythmically, faster. At the same time, the blood vessels constrict, and the pressure rises.
• You can bathe children in a bath with St. John's wort so that there are no diaper rash, rashes, diathesis. And in the presence of sores, abscesses, swelling of the mammary glands, phytotherapists highly recommend making compresses.
• St. John's wort root is also useful. Its decoction or tincture is used for bone tuberculosis and dysentery.

This plant is strong - St. John's wort. He has contraindications, and serious ones, and they must be taken very responsibly.

• St. John's wort constricts blood vessels, reduces the ventricles of the heart, forcing blood through the veins to run faster. Therefore, for heart patients suffering from arrhythmia, tachycardia, vascular sclerosis, St. John's wort is contraindicated.
• It is not recommended to consume it in any form if you have high blood pressure.
• St. John's wort is also contraindicated for expectant mothers - it is not known how the changing organism will react to the action of the plant.
• St. John's wort treats gastritis, but a strong infusion of herbs, on the contrary, can provoke this disease.
• St. John's wort is a solar herb. Maybe that's why the skin (if you drank tea, infusion) is so susceptible to sunburn. Rather, to ultraviolet rays, and they are so harmful to our skin.
• Men, do not be alarmed if, after treatment with St. John's wort, you suddenly feel male impotence. These are all tricks of St. John's wort. In a couple of weeks, everything will be fine, and you will forget about the misunderstanding. Or do not drink the infusion of herbs for more than a couple of weeks.
• St. John's wort is generally not recommended to be treated for a very long time - this is not a component proper nutrition. Otherwise, you can feel bitterness, heartburn, pressure on the liver and even hives.

St. John's wort. Decoctions and infusions

St. John's wort is used in the form of infusions, decoctions, compresses.

The infusion is prepared like this. Take a large spoonful of dry grass in a glass of boiling water. You need to insist for half an hour, take a third of a glass before meals 3 times a day.

A decoction of St. John's wort is prepared at the rate of a spoonful of grass per glass drinking water. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes, then filter it. This glass is also drunk during the day - every time before eating. They can also gargle to eliminate halitosis or sore throat.

And now in more detail about St. John's wort. The herb, the instructions for the use of which are observed by the patient, is doubly healing. Avicenna thought so.

For the stomach

With gastritis, colitis we cook herbal collection. We take St. John's wort in equal parts, and mix them. For each tablespoon of the mixture, there is a glass of boiling water. Let it brew and drink 0.5 cups no more than five times a day.

If heartburn is tormented, then another mixture will be needed: our St. John's wort, and cumin, she is cudweed. For 3 table mixture a liter of boiling water. We leave for two hours and drink 0.5 cups of infusion before meals.

For the liver

The recipe for the infusion for the liver is the same as for the stomach. But you need to take it in the morning on an empty stomach for a week for half a glass. After 30 minutes you can have breakfast. During the day, drink 2 tablespoons after meals. This will increase the production of bile and speed up the treatment of cholecystitis or gallbladder disease.

From sinusitis

We cook St. John's wort in a steam bath. The proportions are the same as for the infusion - a spoonful of grass per glass of water. First you need to drip drops into the nose to narrow the vessels and relieve swelling of the mucosa.

Strained broth is injected into the nostril with a syringe or syringe without a needle. After rinsing, be sure to blow out the spout well.

From alcoholism

St. John's wort gives battle even to the green serpent. But there is one “but”. The dependent companion must want to get rid of the addiction.

And the recipe is simple. We heat 2 tablespoons of grass and a glass of boiling water in a water bath for 20-30 minutes. Drink a decoction on an empty stomach in the morning and before meals in the evening, 2 tablespoons. In 2 weeks, you can completely get rid of alcoholism.

For vitiligo

Those suffering from a lack of melanin production (vitiligo) know how difficult it is to overcome this scourge. The disease does not cause any particular inconvenience, except for the aesthetic one - the skin, once even in color, is covered with white spots. But St. John's wort can help get rid of vitiligo. You only need 8 sessions of 3 weeks each. Break between sessions 8 days.

In a teapot, brew a teaspoon of St. John's wort in a glass of boiling water. After half an hour, we filter the tea and drink 1 large spoon four times a day.

St. John's wort is also useful in cosmetology.

• For acne, insist a spoonful of herbs in a glass of boiling water for 20 minutes. And wash yourself with this infusion every morning and every evening. You can freeze ice cubes from the infusion. It will also shrink enlarged pores.
• For oily skin, washing with a decoction of St. John's wort and wiping the face with a frozen infusion is also good. And the pulp can be used for face masks. The duration of the procedure is 10 minutes.
• Ice cubes from a decoction or infusion tone the face, tighten the oval and smooth out fine wrinkles. The skin becomes young and radiant.
• Men! Did you notice that there was a bald spot? Drink infusion of St. John's wort: 1/3 cup twice a day before breakfast or before dinner. Do not be afraid, it will not bring any harm but benefit.
• And women can soften their heels. Make them pink and smooth. We do. Pour 8-10 tablespoons of St. John's wort with a liter of boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes. Then we pour it into the basin, wait for the broth to cool a little, and take foot baths.

St. John's wort oil at home

In addition to decoctions and infusions, St. John's wort oil is often used. It has found application in medicine and cosmetology. And it is not necessary to buy it when you can make it at home from ordinary ingredients.

Oil can be prepared from both fresh and dried St. John's wort flowers. Insist flowers on vegetable oil for 2 weeks. It can be sunflower, wheat - whatever you like the most. To prevent the oil from spoiling, it must be filtered after 2 weeks and stored in a dark jar in a closet.

• Proportions for oil from fresh flowers: 1 part flowers to 2 parts oil.
• Proportions for oil from dried flowers: 1 part flowers to 1.5 parts oil.

Don't be surprised if the oil turns blood red. There is a fairy tale that once a lightning-fast fantastic bird descended to earth - it was wounded by some kind of evil monster. Where the bloody feathers of the bird fell, St. John's wort grew. Fairy tales, people did not just invent, but to try to explain the incomprehensible ...

Oil is usually used for masks, rubbing, compresses. Sometimes, as in the case of an ulcer, it is taken orally 1 spoonful on an empty stomach or three hours after a meal.

The method of treating vitiligo has already been described above. Strengthen the result with oil according to a special recipe. Press the flowers of St. John's wort, pour them with vegetable oil and put the jar in the sun for 2 weeks. After two weeks, add fresh flowers, tamp down so that the oil covers them and leave them in the sun again for a couple of weeks. So do 5 times. As a result, the oil should become viscous and thick. Lubricate the white spots with this substance, allowing the cream to absorb. And after 0.5 hours, the excess can be washed off.

But the oil classic recipe helps with ulcers, stomatitis, bedsores, wounds and even large burns.

And the Ancient Romans poured into the woods at midnight in order to trample St. John's wort with their left foot. They believed that a white horse would appear, capable of rushing them to an enchanting country for the whole night and endowing them with the most incredible abilities (also for one night). Maybe that's why the barbarians destroyed them - the Romans, who believed in white horses, could not adequately assess the danger ...

Well, they have had it for a long time, but in our country St. John's wort was used to protect the house and sleep of babies from all evil spirits. And, surprisingly, witches and ghosts did not enter such houses. But here the point is not in the grass, but in the fact that ghosts do not exist, and witches were burned at the stake in time ...

St. John's wort folk medicine considered a cure for 99 diseases. He was considered medicinal plant also in Ancient Rome And Ancient Greece. Hippocrates, Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder wrote about him. This plant was popular as a medicinal, spicy-aromatic, and also as a red dye.

Application

As a medicine, St. John's wort is widely known in many countries. Infusions and decoctions of St. John's wort have long been used to treat colds, headaches, liver diseases and Bladder, hemorrhoids, inflammation of the female organs. Diluted tincture rinse the mouth with inflammation. An infusion of St. John's wort flowers in vegetable oil lubricates burns, wounds, and other skin lesions. A freshly ground plant is applied to bruised and inflamed parts of the body.

In Uzbek folk medicine, it is used as remedy against cancer of the liver and stomach.

A decoction of St. John's wort (in various proportions) in China is drunk for nosebleeds, female uterine bleeding, hepatitis, rheumatic joint pain, neuralgia, and a decrease in the amount of milk in women who are breastfeeding.

In Tibetan medicine, a decoction of St. John's wort is used for dizziness and headaches.

On Far East and in Transbaikalia, infusions and decoctions are drunk at urolithiasis.

Folk recipes

In folk medicine, St. John's wort is used quite often. It is used alone, as well as in collections together with other plants.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

With diarrhea, ten grams of dry St. John's wort is brewed in 250 ml of boiling water and insisted. Then drink after meals one tablespoon three times a day.

With enterocolitis, 20% is successfully used alcohol tincture St. John's wort, one teaspoon three times a day.

With an increase in the acidity of the stomach, the following collection is used: peppermint, St. John's wort, yarrow - two parts, dill seeds and bean grass - 1/4 part. Preparation of infusion on water.

For heartburn, the following mixture will be used: chamomile inflorescences - 5 grams, St. John's wort - 20 grams, plantain leaves - 10 grams. Pour one glass of boiling water, wrap, insist and drink a tablespoon three times a day for 15 days.

Liver disease

For liver diseases and cholecystitis, tea from St. John's wort and yarrow in equal parts is useful.

Diseases of the genitourinary system

With inflammation of the uterus, they drink a decoction of St. John's wort. They take a tablespoon of herbs, add a glass of boiling water, boil for fifteen minutes, then strain the broth through gauze and drink three times a day for a quarter of a glass.

For urinary incontinence, 40 grams of dried St. John's wort with flowers is poured with a liter of boiling water, wrapped and insisted for three hours. Drink instead of tea and water.

St. John's wort tea, drunk before going to bed, protects a person from involuntary urination at night.

Depressant

With neuroses, three tablespoons of St. John's wort herb is brewed with boiling water (1 cup), insisted for two hours and drunk a third cup after meals three times a day.

For headaches, insist 15-20 grams of dry grass in 200 ml of vodka or alcohol. Take thirty drops with water three times a day before meals.

Contraindications

As a medicinal plant, St. John's wort is used for many diseases. There is evidence that the infusion and extract of St. John's wort are considered practically non-toxic. However, some scientists believe that oral administration of St. John's wort requires some caution, and do not recommend taking large doses. St. John's wort increases the sensitivity of the skin to the sun, so after drinking tea or infusion, you should refrain from sunbathing. Hypericum infusions are contraindicated in hypertension. St. John's wort should not be consumed by women during pregnancy.

Update: October 2018

St. John's wort belongs to the genus of flowering plants and the family Hypericaceae or St. John's wort. Grows in the Northern Hemisphere temperate climate, in the southern regions under the tropics, especially the Mediterranean. Favorite places are clearings, deforestation, dry meadows.

The plant has a tetrahedral stem up to 70 cm high, entire sessile or short-petioled leaves, single or numerous flowers collected in semi-umbels and inflorescences. The fruit is a leathery box that breaks into 3-5 parts after ripening. Flowering will fall in June-August. Numerous seeds are small, oval or cylindrical.

In medicine, two types of plants are used: St. John's wort and tetrahedral. St. John's wort extract is an integral component of official medicine drugs, such as Negrustin, Deprim and others, used to treat depressive conditions. In folk medicine, many effective recipes with a plant are described. At the same time, one must not forget that beneficial features St. John's wort can be harmful if you have contraindications to the use of this herbal remedy.

Compound

The beneficial properties of St. John's wort are due to its chemical composition:

Also present in the plant essential oil, resinous substances and bitterness.

Medicinal properties of St. John's wort herb

• antiseptic
• antibacterial
• sedative, antidepressant
• wound healing
• choleretic, diuretic
• painkiller
• astringent
• antirheumatic
• regenerating
• anthelmintic (anthelminthic).

Indications for the use of St. John's wort herb

• Heart disease (see);
• Rheumatism (see);
• Muscle and joint pain (see);
• Influenza and SARS;
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the liver and stomach;
• Pathology of the bladder,;
• Hemorrhoids (see);
• Inflammatory processes of the female genital organs;
• Depressive states (see);
• Withering skin, ;
• Seborrhea, increased oiliness of the skin (see);
• Acne disease (see);
• Alopecia (see);
• Cracks in the skin (see).

Traditional medicine recipes

St. John's wort is used in the form of tinctures, infusions, decoctions and teas, as well as oils that are easy to prepare at home. The raw material is the dried grass of the plant, bought at a pharmacy or harvested independently.

Infusion

To prepare it, take 30 grams of fresh chopped St. John's wort or 15 grams of dry raw materials, pour 200 ml of boiling water and incubate for 4 hours in the dark, filter.

• Take 15 ml before meals three times a day for gastritis, increased acidity of gastric juice, cystitis, colitis, cholelithiasis, hypotension, menstrual pain and diseases of the female genital area.
• For the treatment of diseases of the liver and gallbladder, take 0.5 cups of infusion on an empty stomach daily for 7 days. You can have breakfast in half an hour. Then during the day take 2 tbsp. infusion after each meal.
• For the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, rinsing with infusion of St. John's wort is carried out.
• To eliminate inflammation on the skin, vitiligo make daily lotions with infusion.
• Acne treatment involves daily, morning and evening washing with infusion.
• For the treatment of alopecia, take one third of a glass of infusion 10 minutes before meals twice a day for 14 days.
• Skin non-infectious diseases in children pass faster if you bathe children in a bath with St. John's wort.

Decoction

One and a half tablespoons of St. John's wort herb is poured into a glass hot water and heat the mixture in a water bath for about half an hour, stirring, then filter. The scheme and scope is similar to that of the infusion.

• A decoction, in addition to the above pathologies, helps in complex therapy intestinal infections.
• It is used as a sinus wash at least 3 times a day.
• For, fifteen-minute foot baths are made at the rate of 1 liter of broth per 3 liters of water.
• To improve skin tone, eliminate fine wrinkles, the decoction is frozen in ice molds and tonic rubbing is done in the morning and evening before applying the main care.
• It is used to, if a person wants to get rid of cravings for alcohol. Strong broth - 4 tbsp. dry St. John's wort is poured into 400 ml of boiling water and insisted for half an hour in a water bath, cooled. Take 2 tbsp. morning and evening before meals for at least 14 days.

Tincture

One part of dry grass is poured with seven parts of vodka or diluted medical alcohol, left for three days in a dark place. Used in a mixture with water: 1 tsp. tinctures are diluted in 50 ml of water. Scope of application: rinsing the mouth, inhalation, warming compress.

Tea

No more than 1 tsp is poured into an ordinary teapot. dry herbs and pour 1 cup boiling water. For improvement palatability you can add dry berries, lime blossom, confiture or honey. Tea is used as a prophylactic, as well as strengthening the immune system during its seasonal decline or after illnesses.

St. John's wort oil

There are several recipes for making butter:

• With inflammation of the oral mucosa

Dried grass in a ratio of 1:1.5 insist on vegetable oil for about 5 days. The finished product is used to treat diseases of the oral mucosa, including bacterial infections (gingivitis, stomatitis, tonsillitis).

• For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Fresh St. John's wort flowers (30 gr) crush in a mortar, pour 2 glasses olive oil, stir and pour into a container of light glass, leave it for 5 days in warm place without closing (for fermentation), periodically stirring the contents. Then cover with a lid and leave in the sun for 5 weeks. By week 6, the oil should be a bright red color. The aqueous layer should be separated and poured into a dark glass container. St. John's wort oil is taken orally 1 teaspoon in the morning and evening for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers).

• For outdoor use

One part of dried flowers is infused in two parts vegetable oil(olive, sunflower, almond) for 3 weeks. The finished oil is used to prepare oil compresses for healing, ulcers, burns or wounds at the regeneration stage, for lumbago (lumbago), rheumatoid arthritis, for insect bites, and also for rejuvenating fading facial skin as a weekly care.

One part of the evaporated extract or dry powder of St. John's wort is mixed with two parts of petroleum jelly. Used for rubbing in the treatment of sprains, bruises, myalgia.

St. John's wort treatment - official medicine

St. John's wort is used as a phytopreparation from the dry grass of the plant, and also acts as a component of medicines. In the indications for the use of dry herb St. John's wort, the following pathologies are indicated:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract (dyskinesia, increased gas formation, hepatitis, cholecystitis, diarrhea);
• inflammatory processes of the oral mucosa (pharyngitis, tonsillitis, stomatitis, gingivitis);
• depressive states - numerous studies have confirmed the high and more stable effectiveness of St. John's wort for the treatment depressive disorders in comparison with the action of traditional antidepressants of synthetic origin (Imipramine, Amitriptyline).

Dietary supplements, herbal preparations based on St. John's wort for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders improve mood and eliminate anxiety without causing drowsiness and lethargy, i. can be used when precise work and driving is required.

Negrustin	Gelarium Hypericum	Deprim, Deprim Forte 170-200 rubles.	Optimistin 150 rub.	Neuroplant 250 rub.	Doppelhertz Nervotonik 400 rub.

Contraindications to the use of St. John's wort

• Pregnancy and lactation - it is strictly forbidden to use the plant for internal use. At the same time, during these periods, local or external use of plant preparations is permissible.
• Photosensitization - avoid UV radiation (sun exposure, solarium, UV lamps) for 2 weeks (see).
• Organ transplantation - can not be used by both those planning a transplant and those who have undergone it.
• Taking oral contraceptives (see).
• serious mental illness, including severe course depression.
• Severe hypertension.
• Children's age - up to 12 years.

Side effects

Any medicinal plant has a complex chemical composition, contains microdoses of toxic and harmful substances that adversely affect the liver and the body as a whole, so overdose and long-term treatment are not acceptable. The following side effects may develop:

• allergic reactions: rash, skin itching, eczema, increased sensitization to animal hair, skin pigmentation, photosensitivity.
• From the side of the central nervous system: headache, fatigue, anxiety.
• Digestive system: abdominal pain, nausea, dry mouth, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite, anorexia.
• Hematopoietic organs: Iron-deficiency anemia.
• Despite the weak toxicity of St. John's wort, long-term use (more than 1 month) can lead to pain in the liver and bitterness in the mouth.
• St. John's wort also negatively affects potency in men and leads to its decrease with prolonged use.

drug interaction

• Antidepressants- at joint application with citalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine exacerbates hemolytic reactions, as well as serotonin syndrome (irritability, anxiety, nausea, tremor, increased sweating, dizziness, headache), leading to an exacerbation of the clinic, migraine, hallucinations, convulsions up to coma. Therefore, the interval between taking these drugs and St. John's wort should be more than 2 weeks.
• Antibiotics - accelerated excretion of the drug from the body and the weakening of the antimicrobial effect.
• Anticoagulants - reduced action, increases the risk of bleeding.
• Cyclosporine - reduces its concentration in the blood.
• cardiac glycosides- weakening of efficiency, reduces the concentration of digoxin in the blood.
• The drug "Indinavir" used for the treatment of HIV-infected - a decrease in blood concentration by 2 times.
• Anesthetics - their action is enhanced or weakened. Shortens sleep caused by drugs - barbiturates, and lengthens sleep caused by narcotic analgesics and drugs for general anesthesia.
• Theophylline - increases the rate of metabolism of theophylline.
• St. John's wort enhances the photosensitizing effect of drugs such as quinolones, thiazide diuretics, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, piroxicam, etc.

Thus, it is impossible to combine St. John's wort with these groups of drugs.

Preparation and storage of St. John's wort

The optimal time for harvesting raw materials is the very beginning of flowering. The stems are cut close to the ground, tied into small bundles and dried by hanging in the shade. You can store St. John's wort in cardboard boxes or bags made of paper or fabric for up to 24 months.

Hypericum perforatum (common) is a herbaceous plant of the St. John's wort family (lat. Hypericaceae).
The botanical name is Hypericum.
Generic name - St. John's wort.

Folk names - hare blood, St.

St. John's wort is a grass, up to 80 cm high, with a branched thin rhizome and numerous adventitious roots. Stems erect, thin, dihedral, glabrous.

The leaves are opposite, small, oval or oblong, entire, with translucent glands in the form of black dots, sessile. The flowers are golden yellow with black dots, in dense corymbose inflorescences.

The fruit is a trihedral box, opening with three wings, with small seeds.

St. John's wort blooms in June - August. Grows in meadows, edges, in sparse deciduous and pine forests on sandy slopes, clearings, fallow lands, near roads in the southern half of the forest and in forest-steppe zones Northern Hemisphere.

In Russia, there are several types of St. John's wort, of which the most common in European Russia- St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) and St. John's wort (Hypericum quadrangulum L.).

Both of these plants are perennial herbs with persistent rhizomes. The second type is distinguished by a tetrahedral stem. Both species are considered by the people to be medicinal, and preparations from these plants are used for many diseases.

St. John's wort herb collection

St. John's wort is harvested when it is in full bloom (on Midsummer Day - June 24). It is cut off near the ground, tied into bundles and dried in the air in a shaded place. For the manufacture of medicines, the entire ground part of the plant is used.

Composition, medicinal properties and use of St. John's wort

The medicinal properties of St. John's wort were noticed in ancient times. It is believed that the more understandable Russian word "St. John's wort" originates from the Kazakh "Jeroboy" - "wound healer".

All parts of St. John's wort contain coloring matter, as well as (up to 1%) flavonoids. essential oil (more than 1%) and up to 13% tannins. There are organic acids, in particular isovaleric.

In addition, St. John's wort is rich in vitamins: ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid, vitamins P and PP, as well as carotene. There is ceryl alcohol, choline and traces of alkaloids in the herb.

St. John's wort has a pronounced bactericidal effect.

Both in folk and scientific medicine, preparations from St. John's wort are used as astringents, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents that promote the rapid regeneration of damaged tissues.

Hypericum preparations (infusions, decoctions) are taken orally for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Used for rinsing with stomatitis, inflammation in the mouth and throat, as well as for lubricating the gums with inflammation.

St. John's wort preparations are widely used externally, especially for extensive and deep burns (I and II degrees), for the treatment of wounds and other various skin lesions: for boils, abscesses, ulcers, mastitis, and inflammation of the nasal mucosa.

Not so long ago, medical scientists discovered another property of St. John's wort. As a result of clinical trials, the antidepressant effect of St. John's wort concentrate was established, its positive effect on nervous system.

A huge plus of this discovery was the absence of those contraindications and side effects that become constant companions of chemical antidepressants. medicinal product"Gelarium", which is based on St. John's wort concentrate, is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

Recipes for the use of St. John's wort in folk medicine

The water infusion of St. John's wort has a reddish color; it used to be thought that it was “well done” or “hare blood”. In one of the ancient herbalists we read:

St. John's wort is a valiant blood-grass, its infusion is used in the form of lotions from bruises, abrasions, external abscesses and lesions.

In Russia, St. John's wort was so popular that the people called it (and not without reason) "The cure for 99 ailments." Especially favorite was St. John's wort tea - it was steamed and drunk for various ailments, and just as a pleasant drink. The people said:

Just as it is impossible to bake bread without flour, so many diseases cannot be cured without St. John's wort.

An infusion of St. John's wort was drunk for colds, pain in the heart, and as a general tonic.

Recipes for some decoctions and infusions from St. John's wort.

For rheumatism, peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, with diseases of the bladder, urinary incontinence in children, hemorrhoids, gout and tuberculosis prepare a decoction: take 10 g of grass, pour 1 glass of hot water, boil for 30 minutes over low heat, cool for 10 minutes, filter and squeeze.

The resulting decoction is taken 1/3 cup 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

For diseases of the liver and gallbladder take a mixture consisting of 10 g of St. John's wort, 15 g of sandy cumin flowers, 10 g of couch grass roots and 20 g of buckthorn bark. This mixture is poured into 1/2 liter of hot water, simmered for 10 minutes, insisted, filtered and taken 100 g 5 times a day.

For the preparation of decoctions and infusions, it is recommended to use melt water, which, unlike tap water, is devoid of many harmful impurities.

Hypericum herb tincture prepared on 40% alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Take it as an astringent and as an anti-inflammatory rinse for the gums and mouth (30-40 drops in 1/2 cup of water). Sometimes the tincture is also prescribed for internal use (40-50 drops each).

St. John's wort juice, stripped down by half, prepare an ointment in butter in a ratio of 1: 4, store in a cold place. Ointment is used for various skin lesions.

St. John's wort tea is a tonic and healthy drink. It's good to drink it winter time, this tea has no side effects and acts mainly on the nervous system. St. John's wort tea is drunk for colds, as it helps to restore weakened immunity, it is also useful for digestive disorders.

St. John's wort tea drink is an effective remedy for depressive states, fears and nervous anxiety, poor sleep.

Naturally, in order to achieve tangible results, it is necessary to use tea for several weeks in courses with obligatory breaks.

St. John's wort tea is also good after a bath, when blood circulation is improved and with it an intensive process of assimilation of useful and medicinal substances by the body takes place.

St. John's wort tea recipe is very simple: it is recommended to brew it in a porcelain teapot, it must be scalded with boiling water before use. To prepare tea, you need to take about 10 g of dried leaves and flowers of St. John's wort and pour 200 ml of boiling water over them, leave for a few minutes and the tea is ready. The drink is recommended to be consumed invariably fresh.

Also, St. John's wort in the form of tea is often combined with many herbs - for example mint, oregano, wild rose, chamomile, currant leaves, thyme. Good honey will not only add a piquant flavor to this drink, but also enhance its benefits.

St. John's wort oil

To prepare the oil extract, take 20-25 g of fresh crushed leaves and flowers of St. through 2-3 layers of gauze. Store the product in a dark bottle.

St. John's wort oil is also used, cooked in olive (sunflower, linseed) oil and wine. Take 500 g of fresh flowers and leaves of St. John's wort, pour 1 liter of sunflower oil and 0.5 liter of dry white wine, mix everything well and infuse for 3 days. The wine is then evaporated.

The oil was used to treat long-term non-healing wounds, ulcers and bedsores by applying dressings. This remedy has also been used successfully in the treatment of gastric ulcers. For this, the oil extract was taken in 1 tbsp. spoon on an empty stomach or 3-4 hours after eating for 1-2 months.

St. John's wort oil is also used in dentistry for the treatment of stomatitis. By the way, it does not have an irritating property.

St. John's wort - video

Hypericum perforatum contraindications

St. John's wort can be both useful and have a number of contraindications. These contraindications must be taken into account when treating this plant. St. John's wort is considered slightly toxic, therefore, with prolonged use of the herb, an unpleasant sensation in the liver area and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth may develop.

Also, long-term use of decoctions, teas and infusions in your treatment can increase blood pressure and provoke narrowing of blood vessels. Therefore, people suffering from hypertension and vascular diseases need to reduce the dosage and duration of taking the herb.

If you are taking antibiotics, it is best to stop taking St. John's wort. St. John's wort can negatively affect the optic nerve. And also, women who use contraceptives need to be aware that some of the components that make up St. John's wort can reduce the effects of drugs.

With prolonged use of the herb, St. John's wort can lead to constipation and decreased appetite.

A decoction of St. John's wort will help from many diseases, as it has a rich vitamin and mineral composition. The plant belongs to the flowering family St. John's wort, order Malpighiaceae. Previously, the genus of plants was attributed to the composition of the Cluziaceae family.

The flower has more than 458 species distributed throughout the globe. Most of the varieties are distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and in tropical zone on South. Most species are found in the Mediterranean.

Most species are perennial herbaceous plants, rarely annuals. By appearance there are so many flowers that among them there are shrubs, semi-shrubs and even trees.

Stems are tetrahedral. The leaves of most species are sessile, with short petioles.

If you carefully look at the leaf in the light, you can see thin black streaks in the lumen. Flowers solitary, collected in umbrellas. The flower calyx is semidivided.

The flower has five petals and is bright yellow in color. The base in the center of the petals is round. The fruit is in the form of a leathery box, inside there are seeds.

Blooms from June to August. Starting from mid-summer, the flower is harvested and dried. It is necessary to dry the collected tops of the stems with flowers at a temperature of 40 degrees, and the shelf life of the shrub is up to three years.

The plant is widely distributed throughout the CIS, in particular Russia. The most numerous species are four-headed St. John's wort and common. Both subspecies found the same good use for the purposes of traditional medicine due to its medicinal properties.

A decoction of St. John's wort cannot be used in home veterinary medicine, since the use of a decoction in animals causes weakness and dizziness. There are evergreen species. For Agriculture the following types of St. John's wort are of value:

• Gnarled (small, wild shrub, branched and beautiful, recommended for landscaping gardens and street decoration).
• Creeping.
• Perforated or ordinary grows well on dry soils.
• Tetrahedral - a weed that needs to be taken for various diseases.
• Woody is also called zenovka and zinovet.

For what ailments should the plant be taken?

The semi-shrub has been widely used in folk medicine due to a wide range of positive effects on various diseases. In total, St. John's wort treats about 80 known
diseases. Shrub should be taken when:

• Depressive states.
• Insomnia.
• sleepwalking.
• Chronic fatigue.
• Seasonal depressive exacerbations.
• Overweight.
• Cirrhosis of the liver.
• Ascites.
• Hepatitis.
• Dyskinesia of the biliary tract.
• Gastritis with high acidity.
• Ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
• Pain in the stomach.
• Worm infestations.
• Lack of appetite.
• Varicose veins.
• Reduced blood pressure.
• Arthritis.
• Varicose ulcers.
• Cardiovascular insufficiency.
• From alcoholism.
• Burns (external use).
• Colds.
• Cough.
• Pathologies of the respiratory tract.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Gout.
• Tuberculosis.
• Diarrhea.
• Urinary incontinence (enuresis) and diseases of the bladder.

Recipes for decoctions for alcoholism and various ailments

• For the treatment of alcoholism, you need to take a decoction of St. John's wort.

  For cooking, you will need one and a half tablespoons of dried herbs, filled with boiling water. It is desirable to boil the mixture in a water bath for at least fifteen minutes. After the expiration of the period, wait until the finished mixture has completely cooled down. When the liquid has cooled, it is filtered through a dense layer of gauze. If after boiling the liquid mixture there is too little left, then you can add 200 milliliters of boiled water to the finished mixture. take at least two or three weeks, three times a day after meals. It is important to understand that the use of one decoction will not relieve a severe psychological illness. The treatment of alcoholism should be comprehensive and aimed at combating the root cause of the appearance of a serious addiction. Help from alcoholism medications, reducing cravings for alcohol-containing drinks, antidepressants, drugs that restore health and normalize body functions (a decoction based on St. John's wort refers to them), as well as feasible psychological help. Moreover, a single medical or psychological intervention is not enough to cure alcoholism. First of all, the close support of the relatives and friends of the patient, as well as the firm desire, the strong-willed effort of the alcoholic, will help well from alcoholism.

• With pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and lung diseases.

  Take 10 grams of St. John's wort, pour hot boiling water (one glass of hot water). The mixture should be boiled over low heat for at least half an hour. After the mixture is removed from heat and cooled for about ten minutes. Next, the broth should be well filtered through a dense layer of gauze. Application: drink a third of a glass (70 milliliters) 3 times a day half an hour before meals. Take the drug should be at least a month to speed up recovery.

• St. John's wort tea.

  Tea is a universal remedy that should be taken with a weakened immune system to prevent the occurrence of acute respiratory viral diseases in adverse weather, to treat mental overexcitation, for colds, and indigestion. It is recommended to drink tea freshly prepared hot. Ten grams of dried flowers of the plant are taken (half a tablespoon) and poured with a mug of hot boiling water, covered with a dense bowl for a quarter of an hour and infused. As fifteen minutes pass, the liquid is filtered and drunk.
  Take for therapeutic purposes for at least a month, once a day. The interval between meals does not matter. If desired, you can add honey to tea as a natural and healthy sweetener or mint for a spicy flavor.

The plant is taken in a strict dosage, it should not be taken deviating from the indicated dose in the recipe, as it has a weak toxic effect and, in case of an overdose, there may be unpleasant side effects. In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is necessary to drink the infusion after or before meals, depending on the pathology. Alcohol tinctures should not be given to people with alcohol dependence.

Contraindications to the use of plant recipes

Do not give herbal medicine to children, pregnant women and during lactation. It is contraindicated to use a remedy with high blood pressure, as it has a hypertensive effect. The herb should not be used orally for a long time, it has a slight toxic effect and with prolonged use, heaviness in the stomach and a bitter taste in the mouth may appear. In some men, long-term use may cause temporary impotence. After stopping the intake, libido returns to normal. During the period of plant therapy, it is undesirable to visit solariums. Strong tea cannot be brewed, otherwise they may appear.