St. Johns Wort is a herb that can be found throughout the country and many other parts of the world. Native to Europe, this plant has become invasive in Canada. It is characterized by it’s yellow flowers and its leaves that have tiny transparent dots if held up to the light. It’s Spring here in BC, and I am seeing this plant pop up everywhere. Coincidentally, it’s also Mental Health Awareness month and this plant has become well documented in research in the realm of mental health.
There is some research suggesting that St. John’s Wort has been more effective than a placebo for the treatment of depression (Linde et al.,2008) and has also shown to be just as effective as some conventional treatments for mild to moderate depression (Woelk, 2000). This herb is also being studied in the treatment of anxiety and ADHD.
There are two active constituents in St. Johns Wort called hypericin and hyperforin. They are the medicinal components of the plant that have these effects on mental health.
St. John’s Wort would not be the plant you’d want to forage as a food source due to its medicinal potency, and you’d want to exercise caution with this one as it can have adverse effects if you are on certain medications or have certain health conditions so it’s always important to speak with your health care provider before using this herb.
Linde, K., Berner, M. M., & Kriston, L. (2008). St John’s wort for major depression. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4).
Woelk, H. (2000). Comparison of St John’s wort and imipramine for treating depression: randomised controlled trial. Bmj, 321(7260), 536-539.