St. John's wort

Description of the herb St. John's wort

This much talked about herb is a bright cheerful plant with 5-petalled, gland-dotted yellow flowers.

Parts used
The dried flowering tops are normally used.

Properties
It is a bittersweet herb that has cooling and astringent properties, mostly used to calm the nerves, reduce inflammation and promote healing.
It contains phenolic compounds, terpenoids, hyperforim and hypericin.

St.-John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum).

It's a curious thing: Smokers have an unusually low risk of Parkinson's.

Why? Apparently it's because nicotine increases the release of dopamine in the brain. Meanwhile, the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) depresses dopamine, so it would make sense that medications that inhibit MAO (MAO inhibitors) would boost dopamine and decrease Parkinson's risk, just as nicotine does.

MAO inhibitors are a major class of antidepressant medications, and St.-John's-wort is one reported herbal MAO inhibitor. If I had Parkinson's, I'd try a St.-John's-wort tincture standardized to 0.1 percent hypericin and take 20 to 30 drops three times a day. Remember, though, that if you take an MAO inhibitor, whether pharmaceutical or herbal, on a regular basis, there is the possibility of interaction with some foods and medications. You should avoid alcoholic beverages and smoked or pickled foods, as well as cold and hay fever remedies, amphetamines, narcotics, tryptophan and tyrosine. You should not take St.-John's-wort if you're pregnant, and you should avoid intense sun exposure while using it, since this herb can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Therapeutic uses;
Internal use

St. John's Wort is used internally for anxiety, mild to moderate depression, nervous tension, insomnia, menopausal disturbances, premenstrual syndrome, shingles, sciatica and fibrositis.
It is also used to treat inflammation of the stomach and intestines and against internal worms.
Not to be taken by people suffering from severe depression.
It is also used in homeopathy for pain relief and to combat inflammation caused by nerve damage.

External use
It is used locally for its anti-septic and analgesic effect on burns, bruises, sores and deep wounds with nerve damage, as well as sprains, tennis elbow and cramps.

Aromatherapy and essential oil use
A macerated oil is normally made by steeping the dried material in a carrier oil such as wheatgerm or olive oil, and this macerated oil is then used to treat wounds and burns.

Safety precautions and warnings
St Johns wort should NOT be used in cases of severe depression, neither with a variety of other medicine such as oral contraceptives, warfarin, digoxin, anticonvulsants, theophylline, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, triptans, cyclosporin and with various anti-virals prescribed for HIV patients.
When used internally it may increase the effect of narcotics as well as some antidepressants.
Internal use of this herb at high dosage may result in skin sensitizing and phototoxicity when exposed to the sun, normally in fair skinned people, and due care should be taken.