St. John's wort is a grassy plant that attracts attention with yellow flowers, which is everywhere. He does not need special conditions for growth. It can be found on the edges of the forest, fields, meadows and near the headquarters, lakes, rivers. St. John's wort is widely used in traditional medicine recipes for the treatment and prevention of various diseases.
The composition of the medicinal herb
The chemical structure of the plant is diverse, and includes the following substances:
- A complex of essential vitamins, including carotene, tocopherols, B vitamins and rutin.
- Flavonoids and volatile.
- Micro and macrocells (potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc).
- Tannins.
- Essential oils and sugars.
A variety of useful trace elements determines the healing properties of St. John's wort grass, there are also contraindications for this plant. Especially if you neglect the rules of administration and the acceptable dose.
Indications for use of St. John's wort grass
The plant is used as a medicine during the flowering period. Since ancient times, grass has been used to create medicinal drinks that have been used to treat flu, colds, rheumatism, headaches and gastrointestinal diseases. When to collect Hypericum flowers? Typically, the grass ripens from June to August. During this period, you can collect it for subsequent drying and use.
Women used St. John's wort for genital inflammation. The main healing qualities include:
- strengthening the body's immune system due to the content of tocopherols;
- skin surface renewal, improvement of visual acuity and protection of the body from the effects of viruses and bacteria;
- reduction of inflammatory processes and an increase in the rate of wound healing;
- antiparasitic effect;
- improving the functioning of the heart muscle;
- prevention of the transformation of healthy cells into cancerous;
- improving the condition of the epidermis and prevents its aging;
- strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
- antimicrobial effects;
- antidepressant effect.
Hypericum flowers are widely used in the manufacture of cosmetics that are used to treat acne, reduce the production of subcutaneous fat, pustular lesions of the skin, as well as to preserve youthfulness and freshness of the skin.
What to dry with St. John's wort: leaves or flowers? The choice depends on how you want to use the culture. Traditional medicine mainly uses inflorescences of the plant to treat the following pathologies:
- Gastritis.
- Heartburn.
- Prostatitis.
- Gallbladder inflammation.
- Depressive state.
- Gynecological diseases.
- Tuberculosis and bronchitis.
- Sinusitis
- Alcoholism.
- Hepatitis.
- Burn.
- Urinary incontinence in a child.
St. John's wort has a huge number of useful properties and heals serious pathologies.
Collection secrets
The time of harvest of St. John's wort is determined according to the period of its flowering. Due to the wide distribution of the plant, the period is determined specifically, depending on the place of growth.
The blooming part of the plant is harvested. The slice is made at a distance of 10-12 cm from the top of St. John's wort. The more inflorescences, the better.
When does St. John's wort bloom? The best time for harvesting usually begins in the second decade of July. The most favorable place to collect plants are desert edges and meadows. Experts do not recommend collecting St. John's wort near motorways and cities.
How to dry Hypericum flowers? This is done in two ways. After collection, the required amount of St. John's wort is laid out on a straight surface for drying (a baking sheet is used for this).
The second method is as follows: the bundles are tied up in a suspended state.
Direct sunlight is prohibited on the plant. In addition, during drying, plants should have access to fresh air. Otherwise, they may mate.
After drying, St. John's wort is stored in this way:
- hanging in small bunches;
- grinding and packaging of raw materials in paper bags or glass jars.
Thus, the plant can be stored for about 3 years, if moisture is not allowed. A dry and dark place is suitable for this.
Another type of storage is hypericum oil. This method is convenient and allows you to maintain the beneficial qualities of the plant for a long time.
How to make oil from Hypericum flowers
For cooking, you need to take 100 g of inflorescences and leaves of the plant, carefully chop. Pour prepared raw materials with 200 ml of olive or sunflower oil. It should be infused for a month. When the oil is ready, be sure to strain it and apply as directed.
The recipe is considered the main, but there is another way to prepare the product. 500 g of fresh flowers of the plant are taken and poured with a liter of olive oil and 500 ml of dry white wine. All components are thoroughly mixed and left to infuse for 30 days. The container is covered with a napkin. While the oil is infused, alcohol will come out of it. During this period of time, all the beneficial properties of the plant will go into the mixture, and you can begin to use the tool to treat a variety of pathologies.
St. John's wort oil can be used for various diseases:
- Pain of a neuralgic and muscular nature.
- Violation of blood circulation.
- Skin diseases.
- Cramping and cramping.
In folk medicine, St. John's wort plant oil is used as a means for:
- healing of wounds, abscesses and burns;
- treatment of inflammation of the skin and oral cavity (herpes, allergies);
- with neuralgic pathologies;
- with ulcers.
For the treatment of gastric ulcers, it can be used for 1 tbsp. spoon before meals for 30 days.
Healing Hypericum Tea
There are recipes that can be used at home to treat many diseases.
How to make tea from Hypericum flowers? Proper preparation of the drink involves brewing it in a porcelain teapot, which is then scalded with boiling water. Next, you should take 10 g of dried flowers of the plant, pour a glass of boiling water. Let it brew for several minutes and drink it fresh. The drink is a tonic. It is drunk for colds, sleep disorders, anxiety and depressive states.
Medicinal tea during colds is prepared as follows:
- Brew 2.5 tablespoons of St. John's wort flowers and 3 tablespoons of cranberries in 0.3 liters of boiling water. Leave to insist on the night.
- Drink the prepared drink over the next day.
For the preparation of tonic tea, it is necessary to take in equal proportions St. John's wort and wild rose (2 tbsp. Tablespoons) and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Brew and insist for a long time (5-7 hours). The drink must be consumed several times a day to improve the body.
For a refreshing tea, take 20 g of St. John's wort, a leaf of currant and pour a glass of boiling water. Brew for 20 minutes. Drink as a drink.
Hypericum Medicines for Home Use
A decoction of the plant is prepared at the rate of 30 g of dried grass, which is filled with 0.5 liters of water. Put the product on a small fire and boil for half an hour. Then give the broth time to brew. Further, it must be filtered and filtered. The result is a reddish-brown liquid that completely preserves all the beneficial properties of St. John's wort. The broth can be used internally and externally as lotions and compresses.
An infusion of dry or fresh grass will become ready after 4-6 hours that have passed since it was brewed. Saturated and aromatic liquid is used to treat gastritis, colitis, gallstone disease and inflammation of the urogenital area. The use of infusion for rinsing the throat and oral cavity with stomatitis helps a lot. As a lotion, the drug is used for mosquito bites, skin irritation, abscesses and wounds of a different nature.
How to make Hypericum flowers? The duration of the process largely depends on what needs to be prepared tea, infusion or broth.
In some cases, tincture is prepared from the dried herb of St. John's wort. For 10 g of raw materials, 7 parts of alcohol or 10 parts of vodka are taken. In a glass container, the product is infused for 3 days. Alcohol tincture is used as an anesthetic, warming and anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of muscle and joint pain.
Another method of using the plant is to prepare the extract of hypericum flowers. According to the recipe, 50 g of grass must be poured with the same amount of alcohol. If vodka is used to prepare the extract, then it is taken 2 times more. He assists in the treatment of abscesses and ulcers. To treat back pain, you need to apply lotions from the extract.
To rinse the mouth into a glass of water, add a few drops of the product. The procedure eliminates unpleasant odors and strengthens the gums.
An effective ointment with hypericum is used to treat bruises, cuts and fractures. To prepare it take 20-30 g, crushed to a state of powder, raw materials. Add some pork fat and mix well. Store the ointment in a cool place, and best of all in the refrigerator.
There is a recipe where instead of pork fat they take petroleum jelly or baby cream. Herb powder is mixed with a greasy base in a ratio of 1: 1. Store in the refrigerator. Method of application: apply to the affected area 3 times a day until pain is reduced.
Cosmetic Recipes
St. John's wort flowers or leaves can be used not only for pharmaceutical purposes, but also prepare beautiful masks and decoctions for your face from these components. After all, the plant is able to assist a woman in achieving beautiful and healthy skin.
The possibilities of St. John's wort are so wide that they can be used in various beauty recipes.
The plant is acquired not only in the pharmacy, but also collected independently. At home, having only improvised means, you can prepare healing broths, infusions, masks and face creams.
Effective are the means to care for problem, combination or skin with inflammation:
- In order for the sebaceous glands to normalize, you should use St. John's wort tincture. It is prepared from 2 tablespoons of herb and 250 ml of boiling water. After 30 minutes, the mixture is ready, it is filtered and rubbed on the face. Within a week, the skin will become drier and the inflammatory process will go away. To maintain a positive effect, you need to wipe your face in the morning and evening for 30 days.
- To get rid of oily sheen and enlarged pores, you should use the infusion from this plant, frozen in the form of cubes. The broth is made in accordance with the previous recipe and poured into special forms. Then they are placed in the refrigerator until freezing. Use cubes daily after evening washing, wiping the skin with them. Regular use will narrow your pores and rejuvenate your skin. In addition to the result, the manifestation of acne will decrease, small wrinkles will be smoothed out, and the face contour will be tightened. To enhance the effect, you can add eucalyptus and sage herbs to the cubes.
- For dry skin, you can prepare a cream. It is necessary to take 30 g of the plant and butter, a few drops of juice of one lemon, and then mix. Apply to face before bedtime.
- For dry skin, a nourishing mask is used, which includes 10 g of St. John's wort, 1 yolk and several tablespoons of carrot juice. The product is applied to the cleansed face and left for a quarter of an hour. Then the mask is removed and a nourishing cream is applied.
- To prepare a lotion for wrinkles, you need to take a glass of infusion and a tablespoon of vodka. After washing, you should wipe the skin of the face, décolleté and neck with the resulting product.
- Bath for the heels. Pour 100 g of dry plant with a liter of hot water. Boil for 5 minutes. Pour the broth into a convenient container and begin bathing procedures for the legs.
Regular use of plant-based cosmetics will make your skin radiant and healthy.
The healing properties of St. John's wort for the female body
In gynecology, grass has long been used to treat erosion and menstrual irregularities. During treatment, it is recommended to abandon sexual activity.
St. John's wort is used for the following diseases:
- Menstrual cycle failure. Use in the form of tea at 750 ml per day for 90 days.
- Cervical erosion. A glass of dried hypericum flowers is dried in a pan or baking sheet. Then pounded into powder and poured with vegetable oil. Insist, periodically shaking, for 12 days. Strain and insert into the vagina tampons soaked in a decoction. Treatment should be carried out until complete recovery.
- Mastopathy 20 g of St. John's wort pour 500 ml of boiling water. Cook to reduce the volume of liquid by 2 times. Take 30 ml three times a day after meals. Treatment is continued for a month. Take a break of 14 days. If necessary, continue taking the infusion.
St. John's wort for the treatment of various pathologies in women is able to reduce the symptoms of the disease, subject to the correct intake and the necessary duration of the course.
St. John's wort for men
The plant has tonic properties, and it can increase the sexual activity of the stronger sex. Especially useful is the remedy for those whose erection has decreased as a result of chronic fatigue or stressful situations.
To increase potency, the following recipes are used:
- 10 g of grass pour a glass of hot water and insist for half an hour. Filter the infusion and consume 50 ml no more than 3 times a day until the condition is relieved. The course of therapy is at least 1 month.
- Hypericum extract 40 g of herbs mixed with 100 g of vodka. Close tightly and put in a dark place. Drink the resulting product 3 times a day for 40 drops. The course of treatment should be no more than 30 days.
- St. John's wort broth. To prepare the product, mix 10 g of grass with a glass of water. Put on fire and boil. Then cook the mixture in a water bath for half an hour. Use at least half an hour before a meal of 50 ml. The course of therapy is 30 days.
With the correct procedure for the preparation of medicines based on St. John's wort, it is possible to achieve a return of potency and sexual activity in men.
What contraindications exist for St. John's wort
Despite the many useful qualities, the plant is toxic. St. John's wort has medicinal properties and contraindications. If you take it for a long time and uncontrolled, it can cause negative consequences: a bitter taste in the oral cavity, an increase in the size of the liver, and more.
The use of drugs is prohibited in the following conditions:
- During pregnancy and lactation, it is forbidden to take drugs based on St. John's wort. After all, the product can degrade the taste of breast milk. At the same time, washing with a decoction of the plant and the use of ointments is allowed during the entire period of bearing a child.
- With oncological diseases of the genital area.
- In chronic diseases of the liver and kidneys.
- With excessive alcohol consumption.
During the use of funds based on St. John's wort, the rules for their admission must be observed:
- During the use of plant-based preparations, there is an increase in sensitivity to direct sunlight. At this time, it is best to avoid UV exposure to the skin.
- With arterial hypertension, it is not recommended to use agents with St. John's wort, because of its ability to increase pressure.
- It is forbidden to use plant-based preparations for people who have undergone organ transplant surgery. St. John's wort can tear away an alien body.
- Grass reduces the effect of contraceptives.
- A long period of use of St. John's wort by men leads to a weakening of potency.
- It is not recommended to use drugs containing St. John's wort for more than 4 weeks. This can cause liver enlargement.
- The plant is able to provoke the production of male hormones in the body, which is fraught for a woman with a violation of the menstrual cycle and facial hair growth.
- It is forbidden to use hypericum flowers along with antibiotics. The plant contributes to the rapid withdrawal of the drug from the body, which will lead to a decrease in the effect and treatment will not give a positive result.
Before you start taking the drug, you need to consult a specialist about the optimal dose and duration of therapy.
St. John's wort is an amazing plant that has many useful properties. He is able to assist in the treatment and prevention of various diseases. It can be used not only in medicine, but also in cosmetology.With proper use, following the course of treatment and in the appropriate dosage, St. John's wort can only bring benefits to the body. It is not recommended to use the plant for a long time to avoid negative consequences and serious complications.