St. John's Wort Tincture and Infused Oil (Hypericum perforatum)
Inside: Learn about the powers of St. John’s wort and how beneficial this plant is for supporting the body both topically and internally. Besides some amusing St. John’s wort folklore and history, you’ll find out how to make fresh St. John’s wort tincture, how to make a beautiful, red infused St. John’s wort oil, and why the fresh St. John’s herb is best.
St. John’s wort has been one of my favorite herbs ever since I began my journey into herbalism. From the very beginning of my herbal path, St. John’s wort has played a part, especially when I learned to cultivate it successfully when we lived off-grid in Southern Nevada. This is because the fresh herb is best to use. The dried herb just doesn’t have the vibrancy and potency of the fresh plant. This is one of its many differentiators in herbal use!
We’ll get into the science behind fresh vs. dried when it comes to St. John’s wort in just a moment. Then we’ll get into directions for making St. John’s wort tincture and the infused oil.
At the peak of the sun’s zenith in the summer, right around the solstice, you’ll find St. John’s wort blooming profusely throughout North America and Europe. It’s my favorite harbinger of summer time!
“This is her greatest trick: Bringing light and warmth to your darkness....Call on St. John’s wort when you need a sip of sunshine so you can find your light in the darkness.”
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Indeed!
St. John’s wort has an exceptionally strong affinity for the nervous system, including brain and emotional support. It’s one of my favorite herbs to use in the dark days of winter, when there’s little sunshine. In fact, this summertime plant, harvested near the time of the Summer Solstice each year, I believe stores the joy of the sun in its leaves.
If we’re wise and get our preparations of St. John’s wort done well in the summer, we’ll have some relief during the winter as the plant shares some sunshine with our soul during the dark days.
St. John’s wort is both a homeopathic remedy as well as a plant well-loved by most herbalists. Paracelsus, several hundred years ago, spoke about St. John’s wort being “almost a universal medicine.” He also spoke about its ability to keep men from self-harm or diseases induced by seeing “ghosts and spooks.” Later, Dr. Franz Hartman made the comment: “Have those who ridicule this statement ever employed the hypericum in cases of hallucination?” (Wood)
Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathic medicine, has written about St. John’s wort being “specific tor wounds to parts rich in nerves, attended with shart, shooting pains, inflammation along the course of a nerve, pinched nerves, injuries from sharp, penetrating instruments, etc.” Many of the eclectic herbalists of nineteenth-century America refused to use St. John’s wort because they associated it with homeopathy, which is a VERY different healing modality than herbalism.
But later herbalists in America who probably learned to use it from European immigrants, brought it into mainstream herbal use.
I agree with Matthew Wood, that “it is hard to imagine that this herb could ever have been abandoned by herbalists. It has the most beautiful, warm, balsamic, healing taste.” I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s a lovely tincture, with a pleasant flavor in teas.
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Primary Benefits and Uses of St. John’s Wort:
St. John’s wort is energetically warming and drying, being mildly astringent.
1) Anti-inflammatory
Used externally it has wonderfully strong anti-inflammatory actions for bleeding wounds, scrapes, sores, burns of all kinds, chemical burns and abrasions, eczemas, bug bites, sunburn, and more.
It’s helpful for spasming muscles, cramping, aches/pains, sprains, gout, rheumatism, all kinds of neuralgia, and helping improve circulation to the peripheral areas of the body such as hands, feet, arms, and legs.
St. John’s wort works on all kinds of nerve trauma. In fact, I really like combining it with arnica, comfrey, calendula and other anti-inflammatory wound healers. It’s an ingredient in traditional “Trauma Oil” too.
2) Soothes the Stomach, Digestion, and Area of the Solar Plexus
St. John’s wort may be helpful for “coordinating the different functions of digestion,” all found within the area of the solar plexus. From supporting the liver to helping with acid reflux via the pyloric sphincter, to soothing the stomach and more.
In fact, I believe that when stress and traumatic events and anxiety are causes of stomach upset, St. John’s wort should be one of the first herbs to turn to.
3) Emotional Support
Taken internally, St. John’s wort is one of my best chosen herbs for emotional needs that include:
Chronic pains, especially if associated with nerves
Nervous exhaustion
Emotional depression (if the person is not on medications such as SSRI’s)
When there is anxiety, stress, fear
In these ways, St. John’s wort supports the digestion and assimilation of food by soothing anxious thoughts and supporting the subtle nervous system. It’s excellent for when someone needs to process heavy information and news or is experiencing grief.
4) Supporting Relaxation and Sleep
Scientists believe that the hypericin, a chemical found in St. John’s wort, may raise the concentration of melatonin formed from serotonin, and this may be what contributes to St. John’s benefits as a mild sedative herb. (Tilgner) Another constituent, hyperforin, supports healthy uptake of some neurotransmitters, allowing them more time in the body. Some of these include serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, GABA, and others. (Tilgner)
5) Detoxification of the Liver and Being Hepatoprotective
I wouldn’t put St. John’s wort into the same detoxification category as Burdock Root or Dandelion Root, but there’s quite a lot of evidence of it being very helpful. This would go along with it being a digestive helper, too.
6) Antiviral Properties
There have been studies confirming that St. John’s wort may have anti-retro-viral properties, and it has been useful with HIV+ patients. (Wood) Another herbalist, Thomas Easley believes that St. John’s wort may be helpful during herpes and shingles outbreaks. Again, I whole-heartedly agree.
I’ve used both Lemon Balm and St. John’s Wort tinctures successfully as supports for a variety of herpes-family viruses.
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Safety and Contraindications of St. John’s Wort:
Historically, St. John’s wort was a potentially problematic herb in terms of livestock. It grows in poor soils, including pasture areas, and cattle and other herbivores would graze on it. There have been reports that the plant caused phototoxicity in the animals, resulting in sunburns, and even some deaths by sunburn. White animals seem to have it the worst.
Because of this, some people believe caution should be exercised by humans. But I’ve never once heard of a human suffering from photoxicity from taking St. John’s wort. This is probably because the animals eat massive amounts of it, while human use is generally small.
We once had a herd of goats, and they plowed through quite a lot of St. John’s wort while clearing the land with no adverse effects whatsoever.
St. John’s wort also has an exceptionally high number of potentially negative Herb-Drug Interactions (HDI’s), so if you’re on medications of any kind be sure to check with your doctor to make sure St. John’s wort is ok for internal use. Topical use generally isn’t problematic.
Finally, if you’re pregnant or nursing, again, check with your medical doctor.
Why Using the Fresh Herb is Best for Tincture and Infused Oil
Many people are familiar with St. John’s wort oil and its lovely deep, red color. Some herbalists believe it is the hypericin in the plant, but research on extraction in oil has shown there are up to 25 different constituents in the fresh plant material that may have to do with the quality of the product and the deepness of the red color. The deeper the red color, the more red it is, defines how useful the St. John’s oil is.
Researchers don’t know what exactly causes the red color, but most believe it’s a combination of components. Hypericin, in fact, the chemical some believe is one of the more powerful in the herb, isn’t traceable in the infused oil at all! (Heinrich)
Yet….it works!
NOTE: I get asked all the time if the dried herb is ok to use in making infused oil. After years of making St. John’s wort oil, and having tried the dried herb infused oil in the past as well, I can say that the quality of the herb is the number one factor in producing a high quality infused oil. Fresh is definitely best.
How to Make St. John’s Wort Tincture
First…about the proof of alcohol choice. Many herbalists like to use 190 proof (95% ethanol) alcohol for various tinctures, including fresh St. John’s Wort. I’ve worked with various proofs of alcohol from 80 proof (40% ethanol) up to the 190 proof (95% ethanol), and I feel my best results came with 150 proof (75% ethanol). I still had great results from the other alcohol amounts, but personally I like the mid-proof choice.
Here’s why:
Some constituents of St. John’s wort are soluble in water. If you’re only using 95% alcohol, you’re not giving water any chance to do its work on extraction. If you’re using a lower proof, such as 150 proof, you’ve got the strength of the 75% alcohol as well as the extra extraction of the water at 25%.
You do need to be careful when tincturing and infusing oils with fresh plant matter because there is moisture in the plant. Too much moisture will cause mold in oil and a poorer quality tincture. In fact, a final tincture product needs to be at least 25% alcohol in order to be shelf stable.
Uses of St. John’s Wort Tincture
The tincture can be used as a liniment either alone or combined with the infused oil for topical use. It can also be taken internally to support the nervous system and the emotions.
Ingredients:
150 proof alcohol
Wide mouth pint or quart Mason jar (or a gallon is fine too!)
Fresh St. John’s wort aerial parts (flowers and leaves primarily, but don’t worry too much about some stems)
Directions:
Fill your jar about 3/4 of the way full of fresh plant matter. Pour your alcohol over the plant matter by about an inch. Shake the mixture periodically for the next four weeks. Strain off the liquid and bottle it up.
Be sure to label your tincture. I like to include the source of the plant matter, the year harvested, the alcohol to water ratio, the Latin name, etc.
Store in a cool, dark place.
Dosing:
Take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon once to three times a day.
St. John’s wort oil is the most beautiful ruby red…and so is the tincture.
How to Make St. John’s Wort Infused Oil
St. John’s wort oil is exceptional for trauma to the skin and the musculoskeletal system. Not only does it strongly support the repair and regeneration of tissue for external wounds, it also has some analgesic benefits too. What a wonderful first aid infused oil!
Uses of St. John’s Wort Oil
My favorite ways to use St. John’s Wort oil is in healing salves, as a liniment, and in roller bottles for emotional supports.
Ingredients:
Fresh St. John’s wort aerial parts
Carrier oil of choice: jojoba, sunflower, olive oil are all good choices
Wide mouth Mason jar
Directions:
Fill the jar 3/4 full of the plant matter.
Cover the herbs about an inch or so over the plant material with the carrier oil. Shake daily for 4 to 6 weeks until you see a beautiful red oil emerge! Once ready, strain off the liquid and store in a glass bottle in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
I’d love to see you inside when you’re ready to start or continue your herbalism journey!
Final Thoughts on St. John’s Wort
This is one of my favorite medicinal plants. I think God couldn’t have created anything more perfectly, from the timing of its blooms to how wide-spread and useful it is for all of us. I hope you’ll enjoy creating with St. John’s wort!
If you find it’s hard to find it fresh, and you don’t have it growing near you, our school offers to forage St. John’s wort sustainably for our students enrolled in the Confident Herbalist Tribe. This is our membership (or you can own it as a course if you don’t like subscriptions), making learning herbalism affordable, supportive, and fun. It’s your herbal village, where you can find true mentorship!
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Hugs, Health, and Herbs,
Heidi
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Find out about the benefits of St. John’s Wort and how to make an easy herbal infused oil and also a tincture. #herbalism #StJohnswort #herbalist #stjohnswortoil #naturalremedy
Resources and References:
Easley, T., & Horne, S. “The modern herbal dispensatory: A medicine-making guide.” (2016) North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, CA.
Heinrich, M., Daniels, R. Stintzing, FC, Kammerer, D.R. “Comprehensive phytochemical characterization of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) oil macerates obtained by different extraction protocols via analytical tools applicable in routine control.” Pharmazie 2017; 72:131-138.
Tilgner, S. “Herbal medicine from the heart of the earth.” (2009). Pleasant Hill, OR: Wise Acres LLC.
Toll, M. “The illlustrated herbiary.” (2018) North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, LLC.
Wood, M. “The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines.” (1997) North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, CA.