St. John’s Wort flowers this time of year, so it has a long history of use in summer solstice rituals. Many had to do with fertility or for young maidens to divine who their future husband will be. Yesterday, June 24th, was St. John’s Day which makes this still the perfect time of year to pick it for making oil and perhaps start your own summer solstice tradition. St. John’s Wort is the only herb that I know of where you must use the fresh plant to make an oil. The dried flowers just don’t work, trust me I’ve tried, but in general you want to use dried material for oils because water in oil can breed bacteria and mold. It is fine (and advisable) to dry your fresh St. John’s flowers at least overnight and up to 3 days to at least get some of the water dried off. The reason St. John’s oil is a prized herbal oil is because it has long been used for aches and pains so it makes for a great massage oil or bath oil specifically for soothing muscles. Just rubbing the oil on ache-y muscles in the morning and in the night is another way to use the oil.
To make an herbal oil with fresh material, you can use more material than with dried plants because the material will not expand as much in the oil. Take whatever size glass jar you want, let’s just say an eight ounce jar, fill it anywhere from half to 3/4 full of the fresh flower tops (in this case, 4-6oz worth of plant material), and then add the base oil up to nearly the top of the jar. You can “massage” the flower tops with a roller beforehand to prep them to give up their healing benefits most efficiently. The base oil can be any oil or combination of oils that you like to use such as sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, or sesame oil. Use a chopstick to stir the mixture a bit and put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar if using a metal lid. If using a plastic lid, just cap it without the plastic. Turn the jar over a few times to make sure the herbs are all completely covered in the oil, then let it sit on a sunny shelf for 4-8 weeks. (Make sure you label it with the contents and date.) Turn the mixture upside down and back a few times every day for the first week, then at least every other day for the rest of the time and be extra mindful to watch for cloudiness or an off smell. The oil should turn a dark orange or reddish color over the 4-8 weeks.
When you are ready to use the oil, strain the mixture into a clean glass jar, cap it, and put a new label on it with the contents and date. Even though you want to make it with the help of the sunshine, it’s best to store it in a cool dark place once it’s made.
I have a couple of YouTube videos on making oils and although they were made using dried herbs, the process is basically the same if you want to take a peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2qObdwN9kk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcE9gGbk0Zg
