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What’s this
Hypericum (Hypericum perforatum), also called St. John’s wort, is a biennial herb that belongs to the Clusiaceae family. It is a small plant, no more than 60 centimeters high, with straight and branched stems in the apical part. The leaves of the hypericum are small, oval, with the page covered with small points clearly visible against the light, which constitute secretory glands and from which the name perforatum derives. The vulgar name of the plant depends on the flowering period which takes place in June, near the feast of St. John, which is celebrated on the 23rd of the month. THE hypericum flowers they are gathered in clusters and are small and yellow, consisting of five petals and numerous stamens and an ovary formed by three carpels surmounted by intense red styles; rubbed between the fingers, they stain the skin red. The fruit of the hypericum is an oval capsule.
Hypericum grows wild in uncultivated meadows and along roadsides throughout Europe, North Asia, North Africa and North America. The flowering tops of St. John’s wort are used, collected shortly after flowering and used fresh, dried or in the form of an extract in phytotherapy, herbal medicine and cosmetics.
Properties and benefits
Hypericum boasts properties sedatives and antidepressants and, for internal use, it has a healing and antimicrobial action. The benefits of hypericum have been attributed to the presence of hypericin, hyperforin and flavonoids that make up the plant’s phytocomplex.
St John’s wort has always been used to treat mood disorders such as mild depression, anxiety, agitation. Hypericum is also useful for improving mood during menopause or in the days leading up to the menstrual cycle. In fact, oral intake of hypericum-based preparations allows to inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation, and to increase the density of receptors for these neurotransmitters. Hypericum would then also act on other neurotransmitters, including GABA, with a sedative and antispasmodic action, useful in case of anxiety and agitation and to relieve pain manifestations, including menstrual cramps.
L’topical use Hypericum-based preparations are instead useful in case of dry, dehydrated and chapped skin, sores, wounds and skin ulcers, sunburn and burns and skin irritations that cause itching.
How to use it
Internal use
Internally, St. John’s wort can be taken in the form of herbal tea, mother tincture or as a food supplement. There herbal tea it is prepared by leaving two grams of dried St. John’s wort flowers in a cup of hot water to infuse for about ten minutes. The dosage is equal to two cups per day. There tincture, prepared by macerating the whole plant in alcohol, is administered at the dosage of 50 drops diluted in a little water, three times a day. Capsules and tablets are taken with the manufacturer’s instructions, indicated on the packaging of the food supplement or herbal medicine. The effects of hypericum on mood can be appreciated after about a month and a half from the beginning of the intake.
External use
Hypericum infusion, prepared with 5 grams of dried flowers per 100 milliliters of water, is used filtered and lukewarm to wash skin wounds and sores, to speed up healing. The decoction it is prepared instead with 10 grams of flowers every 100 milliliters of water and is used for compresses on wounds, with sterile gauze. Glycolic extracts, oleolites and ointments, creams and ointments based on St. John’s wort are also used externally, to treat burns, irritations or to soften dehydrated skin. L’hypericum oil, of an intense dark red color, it can also be prepared at home, by macerating one part of fresh St. John’s wort flowers in five parts of olive oil for 30 days in a glass jar that will be shaken at least three times a day. Once the maceration time has elapsed, St. John’s wort oil can be filtered, placed in clean and dry containers and used to treat sunburn, burns and skin problems.
Contraindications and side effects
St. John’s wort is considered a safe remedy and has no significant side effects. However, hypericin is considered a photosensitizer and can lead to erythema, especially in people with very fair complexions. For this reason it is good not to take hypericum-based preparations during the summer months or, alternatively, avoid prolonged sun exposure to the sun’s rays if you follow treatments with hypericum extracts.
Interactions
Although hypericum does not present in itself particular contraindications, it must be paid be careful when following therapies as hypericum has numerous interactions with various drugs, including the birth control pill. This is because, when hypericum is metabolized in the liver, its components lead to the induction of several cytochromes. Cytochromes are enzymatic complexes responsible for the transformation of various molecules taken with supplements and drugs; their induction or inhibition can decrease or increase the bioavailability of the therapies that are being followed by reducing or increasing the effect of the active ingredients metabolized by them cytochromes. This is a very important aspect to consider since a drug may have no effect – or have a very mild effect – if its bioavailability decreases or cause significant side effects if its bioavailability increases. If you are taking any therapies it is strongly advised to inform your doctor, pharmacist or herbalist before deciding to take preparations containing St. John’s wort.
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