ORIGIN
St. John's wort (St. John's wort) is a medicinal, but also a weed. St. John's wort is an indigenous plant of Europe, East Asia and North Africa. This plant can also be found in North America and Australia. It is a perennial plant, which grows on hills and sunny places. It prefers uncultivated land, as well as pastures and forest edges in areas with temperate climates.
DESCRIPTION
St. John's wort is a perennial herbaceous plant, up to 100 cm tall. It has a very firm, angular, stem, erect, with opposite branches. The leaves are ovate, interwoven with many transparent dots. These are glands filled with essential oil so that the leaf looks finely pierced. The flowers are located at the top of the stem and are yellow, they have 5 petals and black dots on the underside.
The plant blooms from May to September, and is most medicinal in June and July, when it is harvested. It grows at an altitude of up to 1600 meters, on grassy hills, on the edges of forests, forest glades, on hills and meadows, along roads, in furrows, on the edges of fields.
Medicinal parts are precisely the leaves and flowers, which are dried and used to prepare a powerful St. John's wort tea. Its scent is intense and the taste bitter.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF St. John's wort
Hypericin, the most important active component of St. John's wort, is attributed to the largest number of medicinal properties because it prevents the development of bacteria and viruses and thus reduces inflammatory processes in the body.
Another important ingredient in St. John's wort is hyperforin, which prevents the breakdown of serotonin, the hormone responsible for good mood, and thus alleviates the symptoms of depression.
Melatonin, which is secreted in the body during sleep, has also been isolated from St. John's wort, so this plant can also be used as a great remedy for insomnia.
