On the Wildside with Ian Rotherham: St John’s-wort may be useful in driving off evil spirits

The yellow flower pictured is one of the St John’s-worts or Hypericums, in this case Hypericum perforatum or the “Perforate St. John’s-wort” which has its delicate leaves covered in tiny translucent dots i.e., perforations. These are actually miniscule oil glands. It has rounded rather delicate stems with a slight ridge on the opposing sides, and the whole topped with bright five-petalled, star-shaped, yellow flowers. They will be flowering into late September and early October depending on the weather. As a “wort” these plants were traditionally associated with herbal-medical uses, and in this case the treatment by taking infusions as a teas, as a natural remedy for low mood, mild depression, anxiety, and also topical wound healing.