St John’s Wort is commonly used for anxiety relief. This amazing herb is available in most health food shops. But what is it and what does it do?
What is st john's wort?
St John’s wort is a plant with star shaped yellow flowers. It is a herbal supplement used for medicinal purposes.
What does the words st john's wort mean?
St John’s wort is named after St John the Baptist because the plant blooms at the same time as the feast of St John the Baptist at the end of June.
What other names is st john's wort known as?
St John’s wort is also sold as hypericum. It is also known as goat weed, hard hay, tipton weed, and klamath weed.
What forms is st john's wort available?
St John’s Wort is available as a tea, capsules, tablets, tinctures, liquid extract, powdered form and as an oil based lotion.
What are the benefits of taking st john's wort?
There are many benefits of taking St John’s Wort and they are:
- It helps with depression
- It can also help with moods
- St John’s Wort can help treat wounds, burns, and bruises.
- It can help with stress related memory impairment issues.
Who should not take st john's wort?
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take St John’s Wort.
St John’s Wort interferes with HIV medicines.
If you are on prescribed antidepressants you must not take St John’s Wort.
What time of day should you take st john's wort?
You should take St John’s Wort in the morning. If you take it in the late evening or before bedtime it can disturb your sleep.
Can you take st john's wort on an empty stomach?
Yes you can, preferably 1 hour before eating or 2 hours after eating.
How long does st john's wort take to have effect?
It can take up to at least a month to start seeing the effects of St John’s Wort.
What is the longest period you should take st john's wort?
The recommended time period to take St John’s Wort is 3 months.
What are the possible side effects?
Possible side effects of St John’s Wort are dry mouth, tummy ache, confusion, dizziness, headache, tiredness, restlessness, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and sensitivity to light.
If you know any more interesting things about St John’s Wort, let us know on our forum and social media! Share some of your thoughts with others and start a conversation.
DISCLAIMER
Before you start any new diet, health programme, exercise routine, and ingest or topically use any oil, vitamin, mineral, product or compound, it is very important to consult your doctor, therapist or do a patch test to make sure you do not have any adverse reactions.
We do not offer any form of medical or psychological advice. The information in our wellbeing articles are offered for educational purposes only. Our wellbeing articles are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Thank you.
