St John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum
A powerful anti-inflammatory
St John’s Wort is one of the most widely studied herbs in the Western world. It’s been used since the first century AD and grows wild across Europe, western Asia and North Africa. Associated with St John the Baptist, it’s traditionally thought to have almost magical powers of protection against disease.
Native Americans used St John’s Wort widely for its antiseptic, astringent and anti-inflammatory properties. In the Middle East it is widely used to treat redness and swelling, skin disease and to help wounds to heal.
It reduces the body’s responses of redness and swelling by influencing its natural defence system. And it slows down the rate of skin growth which limits dry, red patches (scales).
