What is Perforate St John’s Wort?
St John’s Wort is a perennial plant that growing to about 2 feet woody branches root system, stems are branching at the leaf axis, stems are solid dark red at base, and leaves are smooth and are covered with small transparent oil glands that look like holes. It is regarded as a wildflower, weed and an herb.
The botanical name of Perforate St John’s Wort is Hypericum perforatum and it belongs to family Hypericaceae.
Other common Names are Tipton Weed, Klamath Weed, Amber Touch-and-heal, Goatweed, Hypericum, Rosin Rose.
Habitat
It is found on banks, in meadows, and by roadsides, prefers sunny positions and chalky soils.
Plant Type
Herbaceous Perennial
Part Used
Flowering Top or flower and Aerial parts of herb.
What are the Medicinal Uses of Perforate St John Wort?
- It is an expectorant, sedative, and diuretic.
- It is effective for bed wetting in children.
- Heals peptic ulcers and gastritis.
- It is useful in the treatment of malaria and used as a balm for insect bites, wounds, and burns.
- Useful in mental disorders and nerve pain.
- Useful in arthritis and gout.
- Effective in digestive tract disorders that it can treat dysentery, diarrhea, and gastroenteritis.
- It is also used as a cosmetic preparation for the skin and helps in treating sunburn.
- It acts as an antidepressant and anti-anxiety.
What are the Therapeutic uses of Perforate St John’s Wort?
Stress and Anxiety
This herb acts as an anti-depressant that reduces the anxiety as well as stress that starts balancing the chemicals in the brain called as neurotransmitters that affect the emotions. It increases the concentration and helps the patient to sleep better.
Diarrhea and Dysentery
This herb acts as an antibiotic that kills the bacteria and prevents the patient from dehydration. The patient should drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration with the use of this disease.
Piles
It acts as a laxative that reduces the symptoms like constipation. It keeps the stool soft and also acts as an anti-inflammatory that reduces the pain as well as inflammation in the rectum and provides relief to the patient.
Arthritis and Gout
It acts as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory that relieves the chronic pain as well as inflammation. It reduces the degeneration of joints and provides relief to the patient. In gout, it also acts as an anti-inflammatory as well as analgesic and also reduces the uric acid in the body and prevents the deposits of uric acid in the joints.
Liver Disorders
This herb helps in the detoxification of the liver and helps in the regeneration of new liver cells. It provides relief in other symptoms like abdominal swelling, jaundice, weight loss, itchy skin etc.
Cough
This herb works as a suppressant and expectorant that suppresses the pain in the chest. It reduces the secretion of mucus in the lungs and provides relief in other symptoms like chest congestion, breathlessness, etc. It also acts as an anti-bacterial that kills the bacteria and virus that causes cough and provides relief.
Burns
This herb works as an antibiotic as well as an antiseptic that kills the bacteria and reduces the possibility of putrefaction, sepsis, and infection and also reduces the pain as well as inflammation and provides relief.
Fever
It acts as an anti-pyretic that reduces the body temperature and provides relief in other symptoms like fatigue, general weakness, excessive sweating etc.
Insomnia
It has the sleep-inducing property that improves the quality of sleep and reduces the sleep onset latency and the duration of NREM sleep is increased that helps the patient to sleep better and provides relief.
Insect Bites
This herb acts as an anti-histamine, that reduces an allergic reaction and also acts as an anti-inflammatory that reduces the pain as well as inflammation and also provides relief from fever by acting as an anti-pyretic and other symptoms like general weakness, excessive sweating etc.
Eczema and Other Skin Problems
This herb is very useful in skin problems like eczema, irritation etc. because it contains Flavonoid that helps in healing of the skin and has an insecticidal property that treats the skin infections.