Most people probably associate St. John's wort as a natural remedy for depression. This plant is much more than that. For example, with its golden yellow flowers, it is also a pretty ornamental herb. Get to know St. John's wort properly below!
What does the profile of St. John's wort look like?
St. John's wort is a perennial plant from the Hypericaceae family that grows to a height of 50-100 cm. It blooms golden yellow from the end of June to August in sunny to partially shaded locations and is used as a mood-enhancing, anti-inflammatory medicinal herb.
Everything essential at a glance
- Plant family: Hypericaceae
- Occurrence: bushes, forest edges, roadsides, embankments
- Origin: Europe
- Growth height: 50 to 100 cm
- Location: sunny to partially shaded
- Soil: poor soils, dry
- Flowering time: end of June to August
- Flower: umbel, golden yellow
- Leaves: oval to ovoid, entire margins, translucent dotted
- Fruits: capsule fruits, dark red
- Propagation: Seeds
- Effect: mood-enhancing, increases sensitivity to light, anti-inflammatory
- Use: medicinal plant
A perennial herb with many names
St. John's wort is perennial in this country. It survives the winter without any problems. It belongs to the Hypericaceae family. Its German name refers to the flowering period, which takes place around St. John's Day (June 24th). Other names for this plant include Stolzer Heinrich, witch's herb, elf blood, virility, blood herb and St. John's blood.
Growth, leaves and flowers in more detail
The overall appearance is bushy, branched. While St. John's wort forms a strongly branched root underground that can reach up to 50 cm deep, on the surface it has a stem that is up to 1 m high. However, this is usually 20 to 50 cm high.
The leaves and flowers
The foliage is extremely distinctive. You can clearly see the plant from it. The leaves are almost sessile and are arranged oppositely around the stems.
They are between 1 and 3 cm long, are oval to egg-shaped, thin and have entire edges. If you hold the leaves up to the light, you can see numerous tiny dots through which the light shines. Each leaf contains essential oil.
The flowers can be present from June to August (maximum until September). The inflorescence is an umbel. The individual petals are up to 13 mm long and are bathed in a bright golden yellow. Black dots appear at the edge.
Tip
The best time to harvest this herb is towards the end of June and through August. At its peak it contains the highest levels of active ingredients. The flowers and, if necessary, the leaves are harvested.