Hypericum perforatum L.
Taxon: family St. John's wort (Hypericaceae) order Malpighiales.
Common names: common St. John's wort, Ivanovo grass, bloodwort, valiant blood, red grass, hare's blood, holey St. John's wort, yellow St. John's wort, St. John's wort, bloodwort, bloodwort, twigwort.
English: Common St.John's worth

Description:
St. John's wort is a perennial herbaceous medicinal plant up to 1 m high. The rhizome is thin, branched, producing several stems annually. The stem is straight, dense, cylindrical, with two longitudinal prominent ribs. The leaves are opposite, sessile, smooth, entire, oblong-oval, with numerous translucent light dots and rare black glands containing a coloring matter. Inside the translucent dots there are droplets of resinous substances that strongly refract light and therefore the leaves appear perforated. The flowers are golden-yellow with black-brown dots on the underside of the petals, collected in a corymbose panicle. The fruit is a three-locular, ovoid, multi-seeded capsule that opens with three valves. The seeds are small (about 1 mm), oblong, brown, fine-celled.
St. John's wort blooms from June to August from the 2-3rd year of life, the fruits ripen from July. When mowing St. John's wort in years with a wet second half of summer in August - September, its regrowth and secondary flowering are observed.
The yield of the plant in natural thickets is subject to large fluctuations - in dry years it almost does not bloom. Propagated by seeds (mainly) and root suckers.
Along with St. John's wort, in some parts of its range there are other species of the same genus, the use of which in medicine is not yet permitted. A number of external signs make it possible to distinguish these species. St. John's wort (H. maculatum Crantz) is distinguished by a tetrahedral stem and the absence of glandular cilia along the edge of the sepals. St. John's wort (H. hirsutum L.) has densely pubescent leaves and cylindrical, non-grooved, densely pubescent stems. St. John's wort (H. elegans Steph.) has spotted stems due to pinpoint glands, and the inflorescence is a pyramidal panicle. St. John's wort (H. scabrum L.) has rough stems covered with small glandular warts.

Spreading:
Distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the CIS, with the exception of the northern and northeastern regions. Grows on fresh sandy and loamy soils in pine and mixed forests, in clearings, clearings, on fallow lands, near roads. Rarely forms large thickets (usually on fallow lands); more often it grows in narrow stripes along the edges of the forest.

From history:
St. John's wort is a unique medicinal plant that was used by the ancient Romans. Bandages made from the leaves of St. John's wort were recommended by Avicenna for the treatment of ulcers, wounds and burns. Traditional medicine in Rus' did not just call this miraculous plant a remedy for 99 diseases, and there was practically no collection that did not include St. John's wort as a primary or auxiliary medicine.
In the old days, St. John's wort was considered a magical plant. In rural areas, when filling children's mattresses, they always added Bogorodskaya grass (thyme) to the straw so that the child would have sweet dreams, and St. John's wort, so that the smell of this plant would protect the child from fright in his sleep. And grown-up boys and girls told fortunes on the stalks of St. John's wort. They twist it in their hands and see what kind of juice appears: if it’s red, it means he loves it, if it’s colorless, he doesn’t love it. The old people believed that St. John's wort drove away evil spirits, diseases and protected people from attacks by wild animals. The Germans called it “the hall” because they believed that St. John’s wort drove out devils and brownies.

Collection and preparation:
The herb St. John's wort (Herba Hyperici) is used as a medicinal raw material, that is, the tops of stems with flowers, leaves, buds and partially unripe fruits. St. John's wort is harvested during the flowering phase of the plant, before the appearance of unripe fruits. When harvesting, leafy tops up to 25-30 cm long are cut off with knives or sickles; without rough stem bases. It is not allowed to pull out plants by their roots, as this leads to the destruction of thickets and a decrease in the quality of raw materials. When harvesting, it is necessary to leave some of the plants untouched for seeding. The raw material is immediately sent for drying, because it warms up easily, and then darkens when dried.
St. John's wort herb is dried in attics, under sheds or in rooms with good ventilation, spreading it in a thin layer (5-7 cm) and turning it over periodically. It is best to dry in artificially heated dryers at a heating temperature of the dehydrated material no higher than 40 °C. In good weather, the raw material dries in 4-5 days, and in dryers in 1-2 days. The end of drying is determined by the degree of fragility of the stems (in the dried state they do not bend, but break). The shelf life of raw materials is 3 years. Properly dried raw materials have a balsamic smell and a bitter-astringent taste.

Chemical composition:
St. John's wort herb contains up to 13% tannins (maximum at the beginning of the flowering phase), hyperin, hypericin, hyperoside (in the herb up to 0.7%, in flowers up to 1.1%), azulene, essential oil (0.1-1.25 %), which includes a-pinene, myrcene, cineole, geraniol; resinous substances (17%), anthocyanins (up to 6%), saponins, vitamins P and PP, ascorbic acid, carotene, choline, nicotinic acid. Essential oil (up to 0.47%), carotenoids, resinous substances (17%) were found in the flowers of the plant; in the roots - carbohydrates, saponins, alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids. Juice from fresh St. John's wort herb contains 1.6 times more active ingredients than tincture.
The above-ground part contains: ash - 4.21%; macroelements (mg/g): K - 16.80, Ca - 7.30, Mn - 2.20, Fe - 0.11; trace elements (CBN): Mg - 0.25, Cu - 0.34, Zn - 0.71, Co - 0.21, Mo - 5.60, Cr - 0.01, Al - 0.02, Se - 5 .00, Ni - 0.18, Sr -0.18, Cd - 7.20, Pb - 0.08. B - 40.40 µg/g. Ba, V, Li, Ag, Au, I, Br were not detected. Concentrates Mo, Se, Cd. Can accumulate Mg.

Pharmacological properties:
The herb St. John's wort has multifaceted pharmacological properties. The most active compounds are flavonoids, which have an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the intestinal bile ducts, blood vessels and ureters. Flavonoids increase the outflow of bile, prevent stagnation of bile in the gallbladder and thereby prevent the possibility of stone formation, and facilitate bile secretion into the duodenum. In addition, flavonoids relieve spasms of the large and small intestines, restore normal peristalsis, thereby improving the digestive ability of the gastrointestinal tract.
St. John's wort not only relieves spasm of blood vessels, especially capillaries, but also has a capillary-strengthening effect. Medicines from St. John's wort improve venous circulation and blood supply to some internal organs, and also increase diuresis as a result of reducing the tension of the walls of the ureters and directly increasing filtration in the renal glomeruli.
The plant's tannins have a mild and anti-inflammatory effect.
St. John's wort can stimulate tissue repair.

Application:
Infusion and decoction of St. John's wort is used for liver diseases, gastrointestinal diseases (diarrhea, gastritis and peptic ulcer of the duodenum and stomach), urinary incontinence in children, cystitis, rheumatism, gallbladder disease and hemorrhoids.
Medicines of St. John's wort are used for hepatitis, biliary dyskinesia, gastritis with reduced secretion.
The plant improves venous circulation, relieves spasms and strengthens the walls of blood vessels. Therefore, it is recommended to improve vision and blood circulation in the fundus, as well as for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
Infusions of St. John's wort are used for rinsing the mouth, preventing and treating stomatitis and gingivitis. An infusion in the form of compresses is used for infected and bleeding wounds.
St. John's wort infusion is used to wipe the skin of the face and as a lotion in cosmetology for acne and oily seborrhea.
When treating with St. John's wort, do not forget that it stimulates the production of male sex hormones androgens. Their excess increases the greasiness of the skin, promotes hair growth on the face, torso and limbs, and the emergence of sexual excitability. Because of this, St. John's wort must be taken in combination with plants containing estrogens: licorice roots, peppermint, meadow clover, medicinal sage, and common hops.

Medicines:
Infusion.
Brew 1 tbsp with a glass of boiling water. spoon of St. John's wort herb and leave for about 2 hours, then filter. Drink 3 r. per day, 1/3 cup before meals.
Infusion for nervous fatigue.
Pour a glass of boiling water into 1 teaspoon of St. John's wort herb and leave for 5 minutes, then strain. Take 1/2 liter per day with meals.
Tincture for stomatitis and gingivitis.
Pour 5 parts vodka into 1 part St. John's wort herb and let it steep for a week, then filter. Use 3 r. 40-50 drops per day.
To rinse the mouth and throat, dilute 30-40 drops of tincture in 125 ml of water.
Decoction for headaches.
Pour a glass of boiling water over 1 tbsp. spoon of St. John's wort herb and boil for 15 minutes over low heat, then cool and filter. Drink 3 r. per day 0.25 cups.
St. John's wort oil for external use(bedsores, burns, ulcers, oral diseases).
Pour a glass of sunflower oil into 3 tbsp. spoons of St. John's wort herb and leave for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally, filter.
A decoction for kidney and bladder diseases.
Pour a quarter liter of boiling water over a tablespoon of St. John's wort herb and boil over low heat for about 15 minutes, then cool and drain through cheesecloth. Drink 3 r. per day 1/2 cup.
A decoction for diseases of the digestive system.
Pour a glass of boiled hot water into 1.5 tbsp. spoons of St. John's wort herb, heat for 30 minutes in a boiling water bath. Cool for 10 minutes, filter, squeeze out the raw materials. Bring the volume of the decoction to the volume of a glass. Drink 3 r. per day, 1/3 glass 30 minutes before meals.
A decoction for gynecological diseases for douching.
Pour 2 liters of water into 2-3 tbsp. spoons of St. John's wort herb and boil for about 20 minutes, then the broth should be cooled and strained.
Decoction at .
Pour a glass of boiling water over a tablespoon of St. John's wort herb and simmer over low heat for 10 - 15 minutes, and then strain. Drink 3 r. per day 1/4 cup.
St. John's wort ointment.
Crushed St. John's wort herb is mixed with vegetable oil, and turpentine is added. Rub into painful areas (for radiculitis, arthritis, sciatica).

Pharmaceutical drug:
St. John's wort briquettes(Herba Hyperici) - used to make decoctions for rinsing the mouth and taken orally for diarrhea and colitis. St. John's wort briquettes: rectangular, 120x65x10 cm in size, weighing 75 g, divided into 7.5 g slices. The decoction is prepared at the rate of one slice per 200 ml of water. St. John's wort herb is also available in packs of 100 g. Store in a cool, dry place.
Novoimanin(Novoimaninum) is a polyphenolic complex drug. A transparent, resinous, reddish-yellow mass with the smell of honey. Available in the form of a 1% solution in 95% ethyl alcohol. For external use, inhalation, and also in otorhinolaryngology, a 0.1% solution of the drug is used, which is prepared by diluting a 1% alcohol solution with a 0.25% anesthesin solution or a 10% glucose solution, or an isotonic solution of sodium chloride or distilled water. Solutions obtained by diluting a 1% alcohol solution of novoimanin are suitable for use within 24 hours. The shelf life of the drug is 3 years, 1% alcohol solution is 2 years.
Novoimanin is used externally for infected wounds, panaritiums, paronychia, phlegmons, abscesses, carbuncles, boils, hidradenitis, diseases of the ear, nose and throat, trophic ulcers and burns of II and III degrees. The drug increases the regenerative properties of tissues and accelerates the healing process of wounds. For postoperative infiltrates, lymphadenitis, adenophlegmons, some forms of osteoimelit, purulent lesions of the pleura and lungs, postoperative wounds, novoimanin is used using electrophoresis. Aerosol inhalations of novoimanin are used for bronchitis, pneumothorax, lung abscesses, purulent pleurisy, tonsillitis, acute respiratory diseases and exacerbations of chronic tonsillitis, including in children.
The use of novoimanin solution is contraindicated in rapidly developing granulations, as it can lead to bleeding.
Giflarin (Hyflarini)- a preparation from the herb St. John's wort, St. John's wort or St. John's wort meal after receiving novoimanin. It has anti-inflammatory, hypoazotemic, capillary-strengthening and antioxidant effects. It is used in the treatment of acute and chronic nephrosonephritis, nephrosis, all stages of chronic renal failure with symptoms of hyperazotemia and impaired diuresis.
Deprim- St. John's wort extract, contains biologically active substances hypericin and hyperforin. The drug improves mood and reduces feelings of fear and tension, normalizes sleep and appetite, increases motor and mental activity, and performance.
St. John's wort tincture(Tinctura Hyperici) - used in dental practice as an anti-inflammatory and astringent. Prepare in a ratio of 1:5 in 40% alcohol. 40-50 drops are prescribed orally 3-4 times a day. For rinsing - 30-40 drops per 1/2 glass of water. Shelf life: 4 years.
Imaninum- a plant antibiotic isolated in Kyiv under the leadership of Academician V. G. Drobotko from St. John's wort, which has a detrimental effect on more than 40 types of microbes. It is used in the treatment of abscesses, phlegmons, infected wounds, second and third degree burns, ulcers and sinusitis.
St. John's wort oil- green grass is poured with fresh olive or sunflower oil, boiled for 30 minutes, cooled. Prescribed externally for the treatment of wounds and burns.
St. John's wort decoction(Decoctum herbae Hyperici): 10 g (1 1/2 tablespoons) of raw materials are placed in an enamel bowl, pour 200 ml of hot boiled water, cover with a lid and heat in boiling water (in a water bath) for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, filter, and squeeze out the remaining raw materials. The volume of the resulting decoction is adjusted to 200 ml with boiled water. The prepared broth is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals. Used for external use, for douching and washing wounds.

Contraindications:
St. John's wort should not be consumed during pregnancy, fever, or used for a long time in case of hypertension. Long-term use reduces sexual potency and causes urticaria.
St. John's wort increases skin sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation.
The herb St. John's wort can cause discomfort in the liver and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth,

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (lat. Hypéricum perforatum) - perennial herbaceous plant; view sort of St. John's wort (Hypericum) family St. John's wort (Hypericaceae), type species of this kind. Previously, the genus St. John's wort was usually considered as part of the family Clusiaceae (Clusiaceae).

Name [ | ]

Popular names of the plant are hare's blood, St. John's wort, yellow St. John's wort, St. John's wort, red herb, bloodworm, krovtsa, thornwort, Svetojanskoe potion.

Distribution and ecology[ | ]

St. John's wort grows everywhere, in some places it forms entire thickets along edges coniferous forests, on dry meadows, forest sunny glades. Occurs as weed along forest roads and along the edges of fields.

In natural communities, the yield of aboveground mass is 0.1-15 c/ha, in experimental crops in the second year - 15-25, in the third - 30-40 c/ha.

Botanical description[ | ]

Pollen grains are tricolpate-orate or tricolpate-oroform, spherical or ellipsoidal in shape. The length of the polar axis is 13.6-17.7 microns, the equatorial diameter is 13.6-17 microns. In outline from the pole they are almost round-three-lobed, from the equator they are round or broadly elliptical. The grooves are 3-5 µm wide, with smooth edges and pointed or blunt ends, almost converging at the poles. The orae are rounded or equatorially elongated, often poorly visible. The membrane of the grooves and ors is fine-grained. Exine is 1-1.3 microns thick. The width of the mesocolpium is 2-3 microns. The sculpture is finely reticulated, the cells are small, rounded-angular. The rods are thin, with small, rounded heads; the underlying and covering layers are thin. Pollen color is dark yellow.

St. John's wort contains a non-selective blocker (antagonist) opioid kappa receptors, and also benzodiazepine segment GABAA receptors, which to some extent explains the antidepressant and anti-hangover effects on the psyche. Another component hyperforin is a reuptake inhibitor monoamines, including serotonin And dopamine, which also relieves depression. Hypericin selectively inhibits the enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase, which increases levels dopamine.

St. John's wort extracts are used in the treatment depression. The effectiveness of St. John's wort extract preparations is comparable to the effectiveness of widely used synthetic antidepressants, which is confirmed by a large number of clinical trials and the results of several meta-analyses. At the same time, in terms of tolerability, St. John's wort extract is significantly superior to synthetic drugs: its side effects developed much less frequently and were less severe.

St. John's wort can also be used for anxiety disorders, its effectiveness in these disorders has been demonstrated in a number of small randomized trials. In a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled study involving 151 outpatients, the effectiveness of Hypericum perforatum was confirmed in somatoform disorders.

The drug "Novoimanin" is used externally in the treatment of abscesses , phlegmon , infected wound

In folk medicine, St. John's wort is used in the treatment gout, articular rheumatism, pulmonary tuberculosis, sciatica. Alcohol tincture is taken orally for rheumatic diseases, crushed leaves are applied to wounds for speedy healing. In Bulgaria, the above-ground part of the plant is used in the form of a decoction as an anti-inflammatory and astringent for diseases of the digestive organs, liver, gall bladder, in Poland - in the treatment of neurasthenia, neuralgia, insomnia, headaches, stomach diseases, as a hemostatic and wound healing agent. In France, St. John's wort oil is used in the treatment of wounds and burns, as a diuretic, and also as a means of stimulating the activity of the heart and tissue renewal.

Side effects of St. John's wort include photosensitivity, as well as the development manic states in patients suffering bipolar depression(the development of mania in these patients is also possible when using conventional, prescription antidepressants). Having a stimulating effect, St. John's wort can increase feelings of anxiety in some people. It is also possible gastrointestinal side effects, allergic reactions, fatigue, anxiety, confusion.

You should be extremely careful when using St. John's wort with other drugs, especially with immunosuppressants. Being powerful catalyst CYP enzymes, St. John's wort accelerates the removal of medications from the body, thereby reducing their therapeutic an effect that in some cases led, for example, to rejection of the transplanted organ. It may also reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. St. John's wort should not be taken concomitantly with antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors And monoamine oxidase inhibitors:77: this combination can lead to severe adverse reactions, in particular to the development serotonin syndrome.

According to a study conducted in Canada(2013), many herbal preparations, including one based on St. John's wort, pose a health risk to consumers due to unwanted impurities and other contaminants. Among the substances not noted in the product documents, substances with known toxic characteristics and side effects - for example, dried St. John's wort was mixed with cassia aculifolia, which has a pronounced laxative action. Long-term use of cassia aculifolia is harmful liver , gastrointestinal And immune system.

Other uses [ | ]

St. John's wort in Russia was brewed as tea and drunk for all sorts of ailments, and simply as a pleasant drink.

Flowering shoots of St. John's wort are used for flavoring vodka and bitter tinctures («», « Erofeyich"and others).

Leafy shoots and flowers are used to dye wool and fabrics red.

The above-ground parts are used for leather tanning.

Notes [ | ]

1. For the conventionality of indicating the class of dicotyledons as a superior taxon for the group of plants described in this article, see section “APG systems” of the article “Dicotyledonous”.
2. Information about the genus Hypericum(English) in the database Index Nominum Genericorum International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT). (English) (Retrieved March 5, 2015)
3. Oshanin S. L. Return to herbs// Gifts of nature / V. A. Soloukhin and others / comp. S. L. Oshanin. - M.: Economics, 1984. - P. 55. - 304 p. - 100,000 copies.
4. , With. 65.
5. , With. 63.
6. Gubanov I. A. etc. Wild useful plants of the USSR / resp. ed. T. A. Rabotnov. - M.: Thought, 1976. - pp. 235-236. - 360 s. - ( Reference books for geographers and travelers).
7. According to the site GRIN(see Links section)

(perforate) is a medicinal herb. It can be found in clearings, forest edges, in sparse oak and birch groves, among bushes, along the edges of fields, in meadows and in forest belts.

Of the large family of St. John's wort (and there are more than 50 species), only St. John's wort is classified as and used in official medicine.

Description of St. John's wort

- perennial herbaceous plant up to one meter high, has one or more straight cylindrical stems with two longitudinal ribs, branched at the top. The leaves are oblong or elliptical, up to three centimeters long and one and a half centimeters wide, with translucent pinpoint glands scattered over the surface of the leaf. The flowers are golden-yellow, up to three centimeters in diameter, collected in corymbose or broadly paniculate inflorescences at the tops of the stem and shoots. The flower has five petals.

Origin of the name St. John's wort

Its "hunting" Name grass St. John's wort received because animals that eat it develop swelling on the ears, around the mouth and eyes, which often turns into excruciatingly painful ulcers. At the same time, animals inflict deep, difficult-to-heal wounds on themselves - by biting, hitting trees and the ground. The animal's suffering sometimes ends in death.

Healing properties of St. John's wort

Healing properties of St. John's wort known since ancient times. In Rus' this plant was called herbal remedy for 99 diseases and used in treatment migraine, lungs, hypertension, for diseases respiratory tract, internal organs, mastitis, cough, hemorrhoids.

And at present, traditional medicine and homeopathy widely use this unique thing. Scientific medicine did not ignore it either. Preparations made from St. John's wort are used as a wound healing agent for burns, furunculosis, carbuncles, for treatment ulcers as a remedy that relieves spasms blood vessels and improving blood supply to internal organs. Aqueous infusions of St. John's wort are used in veterinary practice in the treatment of certain diseases of domestic animals.

St. John's wort herb harvested during flowering from June to August, cutting off the upper parts of the stems, leaves, flowers, buds and unripe fruits.

Unfortunately, mass collection of this healing herb can lead to its complete disappearance. Numerous amateur gardeners and owners of personal plots can help preserve and increase stocks of St. John's wort. Growing it is not difficult. To do this, dried seeds are sown in late autumn without embedding in soil that has been previously dug and enriched with fertilizers.