St. John's Wort Tincture

St. John's Wort's unmistakable sunny presence in the field is a sure sign that summer is in full swing. I harvest the buds of Hypericum perforatum before all the flowers are completely open. They often stain my fingertips a bright red, a reminder that I'm harvesting some powerful plant medicine at exactly the right time. It's hard to believe as I gather the bountiful flower heads that in just a few short months, daylight hours will be drastically decreased leading to the dreaded "winter blues". This medicine helps me deal with seasonal affective disorder from the time I gather the potent sunny buds to the time I carefully prepare the tincture to the time I start taking it to infuse the dark days with a little sunshine. This plant eases depression in many and encourages them to remember sunny days will return again. St. John's Wort tincture can be taken internally to soothe muscle aches and pains. It can be used topically as a liniment to ease pain from sprains and sports injuries. I like to take a couple dropperfuls under my tongue before bed on particularly strenuous physical work days. This lessens the severity of muscle soreness the following day. St. John's Wort is also used to treat nerve pain such as sciatica. Long term use may create sensitivity to sunlight in certain individuals. Always check with your healthcare practitioner to be sure St. John's Wort is right for you. Listing is for one 1 oz cobalt glass dropper bottle.