St John's wort – Hypericum perforatum
In autumn and winter, many people experience a drop in mood as lower light levels and lower temperatures cause our mood to drop. However, an old, tried-and-tested medicinal plant can naturally banish the ‘winter blues’ and is a reliable source of good cheer all year round.
The herbal anti-depressant
Fields of application
In the late Middle Ages, St. John's wort was used to heal wounds and minor burns. Today, the summer plant is used primarily during the dark season. When little sunlight reaches the earth, the mood centre can become unbalanced. This often causes depressive moods or inner restlessness. This is where the active ingredients contained in St. John's wort help. They stabilise the concentration of the happiness hormones dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain. This lifts the mood, calms the nerves, relieves anxiety and helps with insomnia or difficulty falling asleep. The medicinal plant also helps with women's ailments, during menstruation and in the menopause due to its antispasmodic properties. It also stimulates liver metabolism, which improves digestion and skin appearance. When taken daily, St. John's wort usually takes effect after two to four weeks.
Botanical characteristics
The golden yellow flowers are the most striking feature of the 60-centimetre-high plant, which is harvested around St. John's Day on 24 June each summer. Only the flowers are used to obtain the purest oil for our St. John's wort capsules. St. John's wort grows in Europe on dry soils, on slopes, along paths or roadsides. Our ancestors were already aware of the special effect of St. John's wort. They also discovered that a reddish juice emerges when the flowers are crushed, which is why the plant is also popularly known as St. John's blood.