St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
What does St. John's Wort have to do with John the Baptist?
Folklore ties the name Saint John’s Wort to John the Baptist. When the Romans severed John the Baptists head his blood drained to the ground. St. John's Wort sprung up out from the earth where his blood lay. Saint John’s Wort blooms around or on July 4th - Independence Day.
How does John the Baptist play into such lore? We know St. John’s Wort is beneficial for issues of blood, with many similarities, between John and the resurrection of St. John's Wort they are, 'sweet, oily, warm and drying'.
Externally it soothes the pain and clears the condition of ruptured blood corpuscles or hemorrhaging under the skin, such as bruises and the black and blue marks. Swelling which cause varicose veins as the blood corpuscles begin to explode, St. John's Wort Oil soothes and comforts before the skin ruptures and hemorrhage begins. We also know Hypericum perforatum is an astringent with a calming nature and nervine relief. An astringent tightens skin tissue which alleviates swellings. A nervine stops the throbbing and pain associated with any condition that wants to explode and surfaces outward toward the skin. St. John’s Wort Oil soothes throbbing nerves and tender soreness when applied to areas of most need so the pain will subside and disappear. Freedom from stressful conditions associated and swelling to the point of spasm or combustion is the virtue of this beautiful flower.
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Shoveling my driveway, a total of 9 hours is 3 days tightened my shoulder muscles and arms. The muscles started to spasm and woke me up. I was awake from 4:00 – 5:15 In pain. Mike woke up and I asked him to rub St. John’s Wort Oil into my upper back, shoulders, and arms. We used straight infused St. John’s Wort Oil without essential oils in my routine. To my surprise I fell into a deep sleep, was dreaming, and woke up at 8:15 without pain. It has worked for 6 hours. Time for some more. I have not taken anything internally for pain or inflammation. Pretty amazing results...More snow falling today, so far 4 inches. I am waiting for it to stop and will shovel in shorter increments. I will keep you posted on the results I’m getting from St. John’s Wort Oil. We do make a St. John's Wort Massage Oil with Essential Oils also.
4th day, I put St. John's Wort on every 6 hours and shoveled for an hour, ate lunch, and shoveled another hour. It works as an anti-inflammatory and soothes tight muscles. Mike said my muscles between my shoulders loosen up from the morning. This was after 2 hours of shoveling!
In folklore it used for external use. It is best known as a first aid for injuries to nerves and is traditionally used for nerve injuries in the fingertips, spine, and around the eyes where there are sharp shooting pains and inflammation along the nerves. Remember the nerves are lodged in the skin and travel to the central nervous system. Nurturing the skin with St. John’s Wort Oil soothes the nerves which calms down inflammation and tenderness to the touch. When the nerve endings relax the central nervous system will not sound the alarm which triggers inflammatory responses. This concludes the soothing relief from tension spasms, redness, heat, shooting, sharp and needle like nerve pains.
I also love how soft St. John’s Wort makes my skin feel after rubbing it into my hands when they begin to hurt. I start to rub my hands together when I realize the pain is gone and am delighted the dryness and calluses are moisturized and so soft. This is probably why our ancestors equate St. John’s Wort to freedom or Independence Day. A whole plant extract that works well.
There's no time like the present to try an herbal remedy instead of over the counter pain and anti-inflammatory pills all the time. A safer alternative to reduce the amount of prescription medications and may add years to a quality life style without addictions. The pain will subside naturally.
Alternate your medication with St. John's Wort Oil. Start slowly to cut back and see if applying St. John's Wort topically makes a difference.
Also, taking a bath in Epsom salt and add Lavender Essential Oil to your bath will soothe inflammation and draw out pain. After your bath use St. John's Wort for your moisturizer and anti-inflammatory.
You may enjoy the synergy and the effects Epsom salt baths and Lavender Essential Oil have on your circulation and whole body? It will help mood swings, foggy brain and strengthen your immune system.
Whole plant extracts support the integral relationship between our body and mind. Their side effects are are beneficial. Whole plants for whole people is an holistic approach for your health and well being.