How to Use St. John's Wort

St. Johns Wort is a natural medicine that is widely used today. St. John's Wort can be bought in a pill form or drank as a tea. St. John's Wort can temper emotional discomfort and make a person feel less depressed. St. Johns Wort has a calming effect on a persons nerves and can help with anxiety. You can even reduce inflammation on a wound when you apply it externally. St. Johns Wort is believed to help concentration levels in the brain and enhance it's activity. St. Johns Wort can help you relax without causing sleepiness or addiction. When you use St. Johns Wort you must use it regularly for several weeks before it will help with mood disorders. And if you have been taking St Johns Wort for a while you should be careful when you are in the sun since the herb can increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun's rays.

To use St. Johns Wort for inflammation take 2 handfuls of St. Johns Wort flowers and mash them. Put the flower mash into an airtight container and pour 1 quart of olive oil over the mashed flowers. Cover and let the mixture sit in the sun for 3-4 weeks. Check on it and shake it regularly and it should acquire a red hue. You can use this mixture to put on bruises, sprains, and joint pain. The St. Johns Wort flower and olive oil mix will make a good massage oil for relief of sore muscles.

You can make St. Johns Wort into a tea and drink it everyday to help with mood swings. Take 1 cup of boiling water and pour it over 2 tablespoons of dried St. Johns Wort. Let the water and St. Johns Wort steep for ten minutes. After the St. Johns Wort mixture has steeped for ten minutes strain the mixture into a cup. You can add sugar or honey to sweeten the St. Johns Wort tea. You can drink one to two cups of freshly prepared St. Johns Wort tea every morning and evening.

If you have nervous tension you can make a tea of a third teaspoon St. Johns Wort with a third teaspoon of lemon balm and a third teaspoon of valerian. Add all these herbs together with a cup of boiling water and let it steep for ten minutes. Then strain the mixture and drink a cup before bed to help you fall asleep easier and relieve overwrought nerves.