We are so lucky that St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) loves it here in the Sierras of California and has naturalized in profusion -- much to the consternation of county & state officials who have declared it a noxious weed. Yes it is capable of producing undesirable effects in cattle who eat it in quantity. In rare instances it can cause bovine dermatitis, photo sensitivity and what can be termed “insanity” amongst the herd if they gorge themselves on it.
St. John’s Wort (SJW) is one of the premiere tissue healing and pain relieving herbs. It has a deep-seated nervine effect, helping to restore damaged nerve tissue, deadening nerve pain and strengthening the urinary organs. The herb is very useful for treating athletic injuries with nerve damage and/or pulled muscles or ligaments. “Hypericum,” which literally translates as “over an apparition” is a proven anti-depressant that definitely helps raise the spirits when taken internally. It is known to stimulate photo sensitivity in predisposed individuals so one should not overdo taking it either internally or externally.
The fresh plant is wild crafted in late June as it blooms around St. John’s Day, June 24th. An early spring will bring it on some weeks earlier, and if it’s allowed to grow in your garden and receive water, it will continue to produce flower heads as long as the plant is kept from going to seed. I’ve picked it from my cultivated plants for many weeks into the late summer and sometimes get more from a few garden plants than I do from wild patches.
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SJW Oil being processed into a
creme and salve |
The leaves and 5 pointed yellow flowers are delicate and lacy looking, and when macerated fresh in oil will produce a most lovely and intense burgundy infusion. These are the main compounds (hypericins) at work, producing that awesome burgundy color that you only get when the plant is fresh. If you use the plant dried to make oil it comes out yellow green.
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| Fresh St. John's Wort, picked for class |
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It was still too wet after grinding,
we put it under a towel in the sun |
Ordinarily I have a personal preference for making oil infusions with dried herbs, simply because there is less likelihood of the oil spoiling due to mold. SJW is the ONLY herb to date that I will infuse fresh. Pick it a few days before you make your oil infusion, especially if the plants are very green and juicy still, and allow it to slightly dry out a day or 2 before macerating. If the plants are already drying on the stalk this will have to be taken into consideration, maybe don’t wait!
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Pulsing works best, shake
the blender pot in between |
I use a blender to macerate plant matter-- perhaps snipping it first with a pruning tool to coarse chop it a bit beforehand. The red color you see is the release of the hypericins. Also it is helpful to let the chopped plant matter sit under a towel in the sun for an hour if it’s still too moist to infuse after blending it. Better to get the moisture quality right from the beginning. I have a certain moisture quality I like, still somewhat fresh but going towards dry.
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| By the way I don't put them outside anymore, they go in a hot dark inside spot. |
My standard oil infusing proportions apply when using SJW -- typically I will fill a quart jar 2/3 to 3/4 full of the chopped herb, then cover with oil(s) of choice to fill the jar.
And because the herb is stilll fresh there will be some moisture involved, so I like to cover the jar with a double layer of wax paper, secured by a mason ring, so that the oil can breathe and any condensation can evaporate rather than linger in a closed jar causing mold. Often when working with SJW I usually will add lavender or something else aromatic like eucalyptus to up the antiseptic factor.
Oils with this kind of top need to be stirred carefully with a chopstick every so often rather than shaken. Do stick it away for some months -- 2 at least. The best SJW oil I ever made was on the infusion shelf for a year.
Definitely monitor it for color changes, it should turn a deep dark burgundy. Press out after 2 months or so. It can then be used as is as a wonderful massage oil, or further processed into salve and cremes.
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| Finest SJW product, Creme and Salve |
Some useful PROPORTIONS for Creme, Salve and Lip balm Making:
Cremes:
6 parts Oil, 1 part Wax, 1 part Water Infusion (or other liquid element like Liniments)
Note: For small batches (under 2 cups oil) adjust wax down slightly.
Calendula and other high-resin botanicals may also change the viscosity of the original oil to be thicker, which also reduces the wax requirement slightly.
Salves:
2 1/2 or 3 parts Oil to 1 part Wax
Use slightly more wax for lip balm
Herbal creams, oils, salves and unguents made with herbs such as Comfrey, Calendula, St. John’s Wort & Gotu Kola penetrate deep into tissues in their restorative work. Herbal packs applied overnight are the most beneficial as they take advantage of the body’s natural healing processes going on during sleep. Comfrey, St. John’s Wort and Calendula encourage cell regeneration and should never be applied to a deep puncture wound until danger of sealing in the infection is passed.
Make a matching Liniment product to use in conjunction with SJW Oil
What is a LINIMENT? A liniment is an alcoholic extract that is applied topically, the benefit being that alcohol soaks right in, carrying the botanical properties deep into tissues. You can also use liniments as the “water” or non-oil liquid element in your herbal cremes. Now that was a fantastic development!!
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Liniment in the making.
Those glass vodka bottles are great
for bottling Kombucha by the way |
The alcohol makes the creme slightly more drying, but also gives it greater shelf life. AND you can make matching oil and alcoholic infusions that can be used as stand-alone products or processed together for some very interesting creme combinations.
My preference is to use vodka for liniments as opposed to Everclear, mostly because I really like how vodka comes out when infused with things like lavender and some of the other aromatics. Also because Everclear is really strong, it could burn the skin so I prefer something a little milder. And vodka is inexpensive, which makes it easy to infuse a big ol’ jar of SJW and something when it’s in season, so that I have a decent amount to use and play with.
This year I’m going to make at least 2 and probably 3 SJW liniments -- one already going with red poppy, one with hot pepper and lavender and both of these will have matching oils; and probably one more, undecided at this time. Something for the Itch.
St. John’s Wort goes well with: Lavender, Comfrey, Calendula, Cannabis, Eucalyptus, Clary Sage, Red Poppy, Rosemary, Marigold, Helichrysm, Chamomile, Red Pepper, Basil.
I'll be having the annual SJW Creme Salve and Oils class on Saturday July 11th from 11-3 pm. We will hopefully be able to create a couple of oils to be processed in a group setting later, plus press out and process a SJW blend made last July into both creme and salve, demonstrating the use of a liniment. Plus lots of talk about the growing, picking and use of SJW and other botanicals good for creme making.
It will be a full 4 hours with a short food break, bring simple finger food and your herbal notebooks. Because I'm technically challenged at present, this blog will have to serve as the hand-out.
Happy St. John's Wort time! It's a truly wonderful plant.
