St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort Time of Year

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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

Another Update and St. John’s Wort Folklore

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Summery path through greenery

In last week’s post I mentioned HopTea but hadn’t tried it yet. From the packaging to the taste, this is so similar to beer that honestly I didn’t care for it because I have never liked beer. My sons both liked it though (what is it about males and that beer taste? I swear it’s innate!) but my oldest liked it best and drank the bulk of it quite happily. He would love me to keep in stock so now I have another thing to add to my grocery list! They have ones with caffeine too, which seems ideal for people who want a beer taste without the alcohol or the sedative effect. Although I don’t care for the beer-like taste, I still think this just a really cool, unique herbal product and appreciate the simple, clean ingredient lists. The packaging is excellent too although it was a bit confusing at first to figure out if it had alcohol in it or not. I scoured the can, then their website, and it seemed not to have any, but just to make sure I did ask the company and it is indeed free of alcohol.

Aiden enjoying HopTea

Since this is St. John’s Day (June 24th) which is why St. John’s Wort is named such (blooms this time of year and considered the best day to harvest it), I’d thought I’d share a fun little folklore of the herb. Most know this herb for its anti-depressant actions, and some know it is also anti-viral and externally eases aches and pains, but there is still more to this herb.  St. John’s Wort has been used for hundreds of years as a protector and wound healer, and also used in divination. Because it is flowering around summer solstice, there are many variations of rituals for young women to divine who their future husband is and/or how long it will be until they are married. One way is to pluck a few flower tops in the dewy morning on solstice, in secret of course, then place them under your pillow and you will then dream of your future husband that night. Or, hang the fresh cut solstice flower tops on your bedroom wall and again, you will dream of your future husband. Another version actually begins the entire story line of a cute little-known book called The Lark by E. Nesbit where the main character uses St. John’s Wort on a summer solstice night along with an accompanying magical rhyme to see the face of her future husband. This takes place right after World War One and I love how herbs were still such a part of life in the not so distant past. E. Nesbit is known for her children’s stories by the way, so although The Lark is not labeled ‘young adult’ it would fall into that category I believe if it were written today. It’s a fun little read for an adult too, but perfectly appropriate for young adult or even middle grade readers if you are looking for summer reading options for your kids. And if you are disappointed that you missed this magical night of marital prophesy and now have to wait an entire year, rest assured you can sleep with a rose petal under your pillow and dream of your future spouse any night of the year.

If you are the crafting sort, I have a couple of videos on making St. John’s Wort tincture and several on making herbal oils so you can follow those directions using fresh St. John’s Wort. I don’t have a video making St. John’s Wort because it is one of the only herbs that does need to be fresh, not dried, in order to make oil and I have never had access to a large amount of fresh flower tops.

Enjoy the magic of summer.

How to Make an Herbal Tincture Part 2

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This is the second video on how to make an herbal tincture. The first one showed the beginning of the process, and the one below shows the end. This is so easy to do yourself and I find the herbal tinctures I make myself to be much more potent and certainly fresher of course. You can also blend herbs together in the beginning of the process to make your own unique, custom blend, or blend your tinctures after they have been made. (Herbal extracts using only one herb at a time are called simples.) A tincture made with alcohol, kept out of heat and light, will be potent for about four to five years, while ones made with vegetable glycerine will keep for one to two years. The video below shows how easy it is to make your own medicine.

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