Description
St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) Spathohorto (Greek)
St John’s wort is a gift from Mother Nature, which grows in Greek grasslands. Its properties are known since ancient times. Dioscurides and Galean knew its diuretic, healing and hemostatic abilities, beneficial for menstruation. In the Middle Ages magical properties were attributed to the plant, especially if the collection was on 24 June, the day that the memory of John the Baptist is celebrated. According to folklore this “super” herb was able to banish the evil spirits. Except of its medical abilities, St John’s wort was used as a basic material in clothing dyes production, coloring them yellow or red. At last, it was used by Egyptians as a mummification ingredient.
This herb seems to have many positive effects in human phycology, including anti-depressant, stress reliever and narcotic abilities. St. John’s wort has been tried for exhaustion, stop-smoking help, fibromyalgia, migraine and other types of headaches, muscle pain, nerve pain and irritable bowel syndrome. It is also used for cancer, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Nowadays we can literally talk about a super herb!
St John’s wort is not used in any food recipes, but in Greece it is excessively used to flavor and enhance olive oil. Last but not least , it can be also consumed as a beverage.