St. John's Wort.

St. John's wort

A perennial herbaceous plant of the St. John's wort family, 30-100 cm high. The stems are smooth, round, with two lateral ribs, branched at the top. The rhizome is thin, highly branched.

The leaves are opposite, oblong-ovate, entire, smooth, with numerous translucent light and black glands. On examination they appear to be punctured. Blooms from June to August.

The flowers are collected in a wide paniculate, almost thyroid inflorescence. The petals are bright yellow. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule.

The seeds are small, oblong, brown.

St. John's wort grows throughout almost the entire territory of Russia, with the exception of the northern and northeastern regions, but rarely forms large thickets. Prefers dry meadows, hills, sparse bushes, clearings and forest edges.

It is found as a weed near roads and along the edges of fields.

Used as cattle feed. However, pigs and horses do not touch St. John's wort.

During the budding period, the flowers are used to dye woolen fabrics. From them yellow paint is obtained, and when mixed with iron alum, black paint is obtained. Acidic solutions stain fabrics red.

It is a good honey plant.

The medicinal raw material is herbs. It is collected during flowering.

Only the top part of the plant, 15-20 cm long, is cut off. The grass has a balsamic smell and a bitter taste. Dry it in the attic, under a canopy or in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60°C. Re-collected after 30-40 days. Store in bags, glass or wooden containers for 2 years.

St. John's wort can be successfully grown in gardens. The best predecessors for it are winter crops. It prefers well-fertilized soils.

For digging, add 3-4 kg of manure or manure-peat compost and 30 g of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium per 1 m2. Seeds are sown in loose soil before winter or early spring at the rate of 3 g per 1 m2 with row spacing of 45 cm. St. John's wort seedlings are small and develop very slowly.

They are watered and loosened 4-5 times during the summer, while adding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium at 3 g per 1 m2. In spring, last year's stalks of St. John's wort must be removed from the plots.

The aerial part contains flavonoids, essential oil, tannins, bitter and red resinous substances, hypericin, ascorbic and nicotinic acids, vitamins P and PP, carotene, saponins, a small amount of choline and other substances with a bactericidal effect.

St. John's wort has long been a folk remedy that has gained recognition in scientific medicine. It is widely used in combination with other drugs. The biological activity of this herb is provided to a certain extent by flavonoids.

St. John's wort preparations relax the smooth muscles of the bile ducts, blood vessels, intestines and ureter, which facilitates the secretion of bile and reduces its stagnation in the gallbladder, helps relieve spasms of the large and small intestines, facilitates urination and increases urine filtration in the kidneys, strengthens the walls of capillaries, improves venous blood circulation and blood supply to some internal organs.

The mild astringent and anti-inflammatory effect of the plant is due to the presence of tannins.

Together with other active fractions, they have a detrimental effect on some microbes that are resistant to antibiotics. The bitter substance increases gastric secretion. Hypericin regulates metabolic processes in the body and enhances the absorption of ultraviolet rays by the skin.

This substance is insoluble in water; it is found only in alcohol extracts and plant sap.

A decoction of St. John's wort is used for rheumatism, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (peptic ulcer, diarrhea, gastroenteritis), bladder, urinary incontinence in children, hemorrhoids, gout and tuberculosis. To prepare it, pour 10 g of herb into 1 glass of hot water, boil for