Medical herbalist Gabriella Clarke introduces St John’s wort, which may help low mood and keep away the winter blues.
Well known as a natural anti-depressant, St John’s wort contains chemical compounds with healing properties that may also boost the nervous system.
It gets its common name from an ancient superstition that on St John’s Day (24th June) the dew which had fallen on the plant the night before had medicinal properties. The plants were collected, dipped in oil and turned into an ointment for wound healing. Wort is an old Anglo-Saxon word for ‘medicinal herb’.
Hanging bunches of St John’s wort above the front door was also thought to protect the home from thunder, lightening and fire as well as passing witches and evil spirits.
A large body of clinical evidence exists, suggesting that St John’s wort extract is effective in relieving symptoms of temporary mild to moderate depressive symptoms.
St John’s wort is also often prescribed to help banish Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), often called the winter blues – a condition bought on by the lack of sunlight that occurs in autumn and winter.
For more information about St John’s Wort visit the St John’s wort fact file.
