Thursday, December 8, 2011

Hypericum perforatum - Maree

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
- by Albert Einstein



St John's wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed and is widely known as an herbal treatment for depression. Indigenous to Europe, it has been introduced to many temperate areas of the world and grows wild in many meadows and in our South African gardens.

The flowering tops of St. John's wort are used to prepare teas, tablets, and capsules containing concentrated extracts. Liquid extracts and topical preparations are also used. Today, St. John's wort is used by some for depression, anxiety, and/or sleep disorders.

France has banned the use of St. John’s wort products. The ban appears to be based on a report issued by the French Health Product Safety Agency warning of significant interactions between St. John’s wort and some medications. Several other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada, are in the process of including drug-herb interaction warnings on St. John’s wort products.

Read HERE how effective St John's wort is.

6 comments:

  1. Lovely sketch Maree. I like the way you enlarged the flower and had bits of the sketch break the border. And finally! a plant I know. We grow it here in Virginia, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks a lot Paula! and yes, I'm sure Hypericum is well-known the world over! I just love mind in my garden, and so do the bees!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've grown this in my garden-very pretty delicate flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's considered by tradition to have magic powers, and I have seen warnings about interaction with chemicals. The best thing instead of banning it, which is stupid- did you know many foods interfere with medicines?- should be correct information.

    ReplyDelete
  5. They certainly are Chris, thanks for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree Concetta, acquainting oneself with the correct information is imperative. Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete

We'd love to hear from you, your questions, comments, observations! Please feel free to comment, feedback is important to us.