38. St. Johnswort berries. Hypericum

St. Johnswort. There are eleven native species of St. Johnswort, such as ‘square-stalked’, ‘trailing’, ‘small’, ‘hairy’ and ‘totsan’. The plant shown here is the berries of Hypericum calcyinum, otherwise known as ‘Rose of Sharon’, the garden variety of Hypericum that has escaped to the wild.
Long recognised as a nervine relaxant it has been used in cases of neuralgia, pain relief, as a linament for rheumatism, wounds and burns, an anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary and sedative. Its calming properties are useful in treating bedwetting, insomnia, some nervous conditions and cases of ‘melancholy’. It is regarded as the herb to use in cases of menopausal changes triggering anxiety or irritability, or in slight depression, but not in marked depression. St. Johnswort has been known to poison livestock and its use can sometimes make the skin sensitive to light. 
In magic and alchemy St. Johnswort is used to make a purifying incense that assaults the powers of evil. It can be worn as a protective amulet or placed at an entrance for protection. There are many love stories connected with St. Johnswort. If a sprig is picked by a woman on St. John’s Feast Day (June 24th), whilst still wet with dew - the girl will find a husband within the year. The red sap in the stems and leaves of this plant was thought to be the blood of the martyred saint - St. John the Baptist who was beheaded. In Germany it was called ‘Hexenkraut’, or ‘Witches Herb’, from its reputed medical powers. It was once called ‘Sol Terristris’ because the spirits of the darkness’ vanish in its presence. Gerard has a recipe that ‘doth make an oile the colour of blood’ - a precious recipe for healing deep wounds according to the Doctrine of Signatures.
INDEX OF FLOWERS
Selfheal Common Vetch Penny Cress
Bittersweet Lesser Celandine Campion
Campion & Cow Parsley White Clover Vervain
Lesser Celandine and Primrose Dandelion Dandelion seeds
Periwinkle Evening Primrose Thrift
Foxglove Fennel Green Alkanet
Gunnera Hawthorn berries Plantain
Indian Balsam Herb Robert Speedwell
Nettle Lady's Smock Cherry Blossom
Scarlet Pimpernel Opium Poppy Quince blossom
Ramsons Meadow Cranesbill Rosebay Willow herb
Meadowsweet Lesser Stitchwort Broad leafed Willow Herb
Greater Stitchwort St. Johns Wort berries Tormentil
Dog Rose Thistle head Valerian head
Red Shank Valerian Sweet Violet Windflower
Yarrow Feverfew Rock Rose

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