St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a wild yellow flower considered to be a weed throughout most of the United States. It has been used for medical purposes in other parts of the world for thousands of years. Today, St. John's wort is continually being studied to try to validate its alleged mood-improving benefits. The name St. John's wort apparently refers to John the Baptist, as the plant blooms around the time of the feast of St. John the Baptist in late June.
More than 30 clinical studies have been conducted over the past 22 years to evaluate the effectiveness of St. John's wort. While the true benefits of St. John's wort are still being explored, if you do choose to use it, be sure to learn all you can and check with your doctor before taking it.
St. John's Wort for Treating Depression Ways to take the herb.
Both the leaves and the flowers of St. John's wort are harvested, dried, and put into liquid or pill form. The dried leaves may also be used as a tea.
Typically, 2 to 4 grams of powdered St. John's wort is taken three times a day for several weeks. It may also be taken twice a day as a tea made with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb.
Preparations in the U.S. have varied amounts of active ingredient in them. So be careful to note how much you're getting in your tablet.
(Source: WebMD)
Transplanting St John's wort herb.
Now the question how to transplant it, since I heard from Sylvia Newberry, a well known herbalist who lives VT aerea, some weeks ago, that its transplanting is something difficult.
I decided to email Sylvia to ask her what I should do to have success moving the seedling from one place to other. I wanted to know her secret.
Later, she answered my question:
Sylvia said: St. Johns Wort is difficult for me to transplant, simply because of what I consider to be the "spirit" of the plant. I have friends who cultivate it as part of their gardens. It will grow abundantly for me around the edges of my yard and in my husband's garden, but when I try to transplant it to my garden, it either just sits there and stops growing or it died. Working with wild medicinal plants is a matter of connecting with them at the level of your heart. It is most often not an intellectual process. My teacher used to send us out into the woods to find a plant and spend an hour or so sitting with it. Listening for its wisdom. Communicating with it. I believe that first and foremost, you need to come with an open heart, a real desire to learn, pure motives so to speak. And you need to be willing to spend time looking and listening. The plants tell us so much about themselves and what they are able to do to help us but we need to figure out the language. I would say that you should go ahead and plant the St. John 's Wort if your heart tells you to and see what happens. Talk to the plant and tell it your plans and ask if it is willing to be your teacher. Listen for the answer and then do whatever you think is right.
Saint John's wort seedling - June 2, 2011
I was moved for what she wrote back. I listened my entire senses. I always treat the plants as living ones. They deserve my attention, my respect, my connexion, my care. Evidently, what she said was in practice today.
blackberry in bloom.
Task done for today >> as part of my continuing education in Master Gardening: transplanting, weeding, cleaning and learning. Time spent: 2.5 hr.
The current bloom for Iris - June 2, 2011
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