St Johns Wort

[mazel-bee]

A very kind Crazy Chickie sent me some seeds for ST Johns Wort.
Which I know has wonderful properties and to be honest, the plant intrigues me! I know it has yellow flowers but that is as far as my knowledge leads me.
To start - When do I plant the seed? How long does it take to germinate and ANY info would be gratefully received.

[annie trip]

Sorry no idea mazel-bee. How come your posts are all nice blue???

[sewer rat]

Hi Mazel-bee
Seed should be sown when ripe - either in Autumn or in Spring in greenhouse. Needs temp of 10 centigrade to germinate - can take a long time to do so.

[Earthbabe]

Same here mazel-bee. I too have had some of CCs seeds and didn't realise they were so tiny. I know I have some info somewhere.

[Crazy Chickie]

Hi, I just put the seeds in tray and germinated on the windowsill last spring. They came up really well. Have heard that you can freeze them for a few days before sowing but I never needed to do this. The seedlings are tiny when they come up but soon grow to decent little bushy plants. Watch out as once its established it can selfseed around your garden so dead heading is advised. The seeds are from the medicinal plant and not any of the decorative cultivars and I have a recipe for a St Johns Wort massage oil if anyone wants if. Remember to be carefull using St J W in very sunny conditions (wrong time of year I know, but it hightens skin sensitivity to sun) and if your on any medication as it can interfere.
Hope thats of some help
CC

[Alice]

Colour in text


Hello Annie Trip, to get your text any colour you like, click on GO Advanced, then the drop down box beside the A on the band at the top of the box, click on the colour you would like your text to be, and if I'm right, this will be orange.

[mazel-bee]

Thank you. I'll try to be patient and wait until spring to plant them.
CC, the massage oil recipe would be wonderful if it is not too much trouble.
And colours are so good for this boring dull time of year, they make me smile!

[Crazy Chickie]

Had a wee look through my herby books and found a few recipes n info;

Massage Oil: 2 cups of oil, sunflower, grape seed or olive depending on whether you want a light or heavy oil, olive is very good for the skin but is a very heavy oil.
1 oz of freash flowering tops
Place the flowering tops in a bowl and crush lightly. Pour in the oil and place the bowl in a pan of water (bain marie like). Heat gently for about an hour being careful to keep the water topped up and not burn the oil. Strain the oil and transfer to a clean bottle and seal.

You can also use it to make a tea, through I havn't tried this and can't tell you how it tastes. 2 tsp of freash or dried herb steaped in boiling water for 10 mins. The tea can also be used on the skin to treat various complaints.

St Johns Wort can be used to treat depession, burns, bruises, cold sores, bites and stings. It has also been used in and after child birth and for disspelling lumps in the breasts when lactating. It speeds healing of the bodys tissues and regulates brain chemistry in nervous disorders.

St Jonhs Wort is and MAO inhibitor so try to avoid taking high doses and eating strong cheese, wine, smoked or pickled foods. Also hayfever medicines, amphetamines, narcotics, tryptophan and tyrosine. Do not use if pregnant and remember to be careful using in hot sunny climbs'

[Earthbabe]

It is also now suggested that it should not be used/taken with amitriptyline even in low doses for chronic pain and should also be avoided with most other anti-depressants. As with anything if you are not sure and are taking prescribed medication check with your GP or a decent pharmacist before taking.

nursey head on there for a minute. *deep breaths* ok I should be ok now

[Alison]

Think it can interfere with the contraceptive pill (or at least some varieties) so as EB says, check with your doctor before using.

[Earthbabe]

It may well do Alison as it is one we get patients to stop taking about two weeks before they come in for surgery. It can interfere with lots of commonly prescribed meds. As can echinacea, goldenseal, ginseng, garlic.

[Alison]

Didn't know that about echinacea or garlic. Will have to look out for that next time I'm unfortunate enough to need medication.

[Crazy Chickie]

I didn't know about the echinaciea or garlic either. Is that when using them in medical doses or when eating/drinking herb teas aswell? I pretty much have garlic in every meal and drink ech. tea all the time.

[Alison]

Me too, have looked on my tea packet but it doesn't say anything there. Fortunately I'm pretty healthy on the whole (makes mad grasp towards the wooden table!) but it's always best to be safe.

[Crazy Chickie]

Its all that garlic n echinaciea that keeps us healthy Alison