St. John's Wort Is A "healer Of Wounds". Useful Properties, Contraindications. Photo

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St. John's Wort Is A "healer Of Wounds". Useful Properties, Contraindications. Photo
St. John's Wort Is A "healer Of Wounds". Useful Properties, Contraindications. Photo

Video: St. John's Wort Is A "healer Of Wounds". Useful Properties, Contraindications. Photo

Video: St. John's Wort Is A "healer Of Wounds". Useful Properties, Contraindications. Photo
Video: 7 Benefits Of St Johns Wort 2024, March
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St. John's wort in folk beliefs is considered one of those plants that originated from the blood or feather of the "lightning" bird, which brought heavenly fire to earth and was wounded by a hostile creature. Later, St. John's wort was attributed to the ability to drive away evil spirits, it protected from witches and ghosts, and the purple juice obtained by pressing flower buds was considered a charming remedy.

St. John's wort, St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) - a perennial herb; species of the genus St. John's wort (Hypericum) of the family St. John's wort (Hypericaceae). Previously, the genus St. John's wort was usually considered as part of the Clusiaceae family.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort, is one of the most used medicinal plants.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Popular names for St. John's wort: common dyuravets, St. John's wort, St. Georgia), Arevkurik (Armenia).

Description

St. John's wort is a herbaceous perennial rhizome plant with erect dihedral branched stems. Leaves are opposite, odorous, oblong-oval, sessile, 0.7-3 cm long and 0.3-1.5 cm wide, oval, obtuse, with numerous translucent pinpoint glands. The flowers are yellow, with a large number of stamens, fused in three bundles. Pistil with three columns and three-celled upper ovary. The fruit is an oblong ovate capsule 6 mm long and 5 mm wide. Seeds are small, up to 1 mm, cylindrical, brown. Height 30 - 100 cm.

Flowering time. June July.

Distribution. It is found in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia and in the mountains of Central Asia.

Habitat. Grows in forest glades, bushes, gardens, dry meadows.

Applicable part. Grass (stems, leaves, flowers) and leaves.

Collection time. June July.

Chemical composition. The herb contains the dye hypericin, flavonoids hyperoside, rutin, quercitrin and quercetin, nicotinic acid, ceryl alcohol, tannins, a small amount of choline, carotene (up to 55 mg%), vitamins C and PP, traces of alkaloids and phytoncides. When rubbed, St. John's wort has a peculiar pleasant smell and a slightly astringent bitter-resinous taste.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Application for medical purposes

For medical purposes, herb is used plants. Gather the flower tops along with the leaves during flowering. Dried in dryers at a temperature of 35-40 ° C or in the air under a canopy.

The raw materials, ready for use, are leafy stems with flowers, buds, and partly fruits and seeds; raw materials are dull green in color, with a weak aromatic odor, with a bitter, slightly astringent taste. Moisture is allowed no more than 13%, extractives extracted with 70% alcohol, no less than 25%.

In pharmacies, they are sold in packs of 100 g in boxes or bags.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort. Botanical illustration
St. John's wort, or St. John's wort. Botanical illustration

It is believed that the name of the plant comes from the Kazakh "dzherabay", which means "healer of wounds". St. John's wort as a medicinal plant was known in ancient Greece. In Russia, it was used at the beginning of the 17th century. Russian folk medicine considers St. John's wort "a herb for ninety-nine diseases" and is widely used, especially in mixtures of medicinal herbs, to treat many diseases. The plant is used in folk medicine in many countries.

Useful properties of St. John's wort

St. John's wort has astringent, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, wound healing, diuretic and choleretic effect. The plant stimulates appetite, stimulates the excretory activity of various glands, promotes tissue regeneration (restoration), and has a calming effect on the nervous system.

There is evidence that they also have a stimulating effect on regenerative processes, have P-vitamin activity, and reduce capillary permeability.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort
St. John's wort, or St. John's wort

The herb infusion is used for female diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (especially with colitis and various diarrhea), pain in the stomach and intestines, diseases of the liver, heart and bladder, in particular for kidney stones, cystitis and involuntary nocturnal urination in children. The herb is also used as a sedative, pain reliever for headaches and other nervous pains.

The herb infusion is used as a hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant and antihelminthic agent.

In German folk medicine, the plant's infusion is taken for various gastrointestinal diseases, dropsy, liver and kidney diseases, rheumatism, hemorrhoids and is used as a sedative for headaches, irritability, restless sleep and nervous cramps.

Alcoholic tincture of the plant in the form of drops is used internally for rheumatic diseases.

Crushed fresh leaves applied to the wounds help them heal quickly. The crushed herb, infused with vegetable oil and mixed with turpentine, rub the joints affected by rheumatism.

They rinse the mouth with alcoholic tincture diluted with water to eliminate the bad smell, lubricate the gums with a pure tincture to strengthen them.

In dentistry, St. John's wort oil is used to treat chronic and subacute gingivitis and stomatitis. In the preparations of St. John's wort, medicinal properties are combined with a mild, bitter-astringent taste and a pleasant balsamic smell. The presence of vitamins A and C complements the healing effect.

The plant is part of various medicinal preparations (diuretic, astringent and antirheumatic).

St. John's wort is used in scientific medicine for colitis and kidney stones. Clinical studies have shown a good effect of the ethereal-alcoholic tincture of the plant in acute and chronic colitis. A new preparation has been made from St. John's wort - imanin for external use in case of burns (no disfiguring scars remain) and skin diseases, fresh and infected wounds, ulcers, boils, purulent inflammatory skin processes and acute rhinitis. Acute rhinitis disappears within a few hours after using imanin.

Internal use of St. John's wort, as a poisonous plant, requires caution

A glade overgrown with St. John's wort
A glade overgrown with St. John's wort

Ways to use St. John's wort

  1. Brew 10 g of dry herb St. John's wort in 1 glass of boiling water, insist. Take 1 tablespoon 2 - 4 times a day after meals.
  2. Insist 15 - 20 g of dry grass in 1/2 liter. alcohol or vodka. Take 30 drops with water 3 times daily after meals.
  3. Grind fresh leaves of St. John's wort and wild sage (take equally) with fresh lard, squeeze through cheesecloth. Store in a sealed jar. Use as an ointment to heal wounds and abrasions.
  4. Add 20 - 30 drops of alcoholic herb tincture to 1/2 cup of water. Use to gargle with halitosis.

Contraindications

St. John's wort herb is slightly toxic. With prolonged use in its pure form, it can cause discomfort in the liver and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth.

With prolonged use, decoctions and infusions of St. John's wort can cause narrowing of blood vessels and an increase in blood pressure. Persons suffering from hypertension, it is prescribed only in the collection of herbs and in small doses.

You should also know that St. John's wort is able to halve the blood content of such an important medication for AIDS as Indinavir. If you are sick with AIDS, in no case do not take St. John's wort, as this plant completely neutralizes the effective effect of drugs that can be prescribed to combat this ailment.

John's wort also cannot be used along with anticoagulants and heart medications. When interacting with these drugs, this plant weakens their effect.

The same effect is observed when using St. John's wort with a drug such as Cyclosporin, which is used to prevent organ rejection after transplantation.

Dear women, if you are taking any contraceptives and at the same time you need to take St. John's wort, be sure to consult your doctor about this. The fact is that some of the components that make up this medicinal plant can reduce the contraceptive property of some contraceptive drugs.

With special attention, St. John's wort should also be taken by elderly people who use modern antidepressants. The simultaneous use of these drugs and St. John's wort can lead to frequent dizziness, confusion, anxiety, and migraine.

The use of St. John's wort should also be abandoned by those people who have hypersensitivity to the sun. If you do take St. John's wort, then try not to go out in the sun. Remember this as it is very important.

Taking antibiotics also involves avoiding St. John's wort.

This medicinal plant is not recommended for pregnant women, as well as for women who are breastfeeding.

Be especially careful when using St. John's wort along with anesthetics. If you are preparing for anesthesia while you are taking St. John's wort, be sure to tell your doctor about it. The thing is that this plant can cause an increase or prolongation of the action of some anesthetic drugs.

More recently, it became known that St. John's wort also negatively affects the optic nerve.

St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum hirsutum)
St. John's wort, or St. John's wort (Hypericum hirsutum)

Used materials

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