A very ancient herb, and is still being actively used for the treatment of the same conditions to this day.
In Germany and other parts of northern Europe, it is commonly prescribed for mild depression, especially in children, adolescents, because it is less expensive than the pharmaceutical drugs. It is also know as the Chase-devil plant though I cannot seem to find out why.
This is a very easy plant to grow. I makes a beautiful low border as well, as long as it is kept out of the hot afternoon sun. It blooms from May until September - depending on your hardiness zone, and growing conditions. Seeds will ripen from July until late September.
The crushed flowers produce a pigment named hypericin which is used to make a yellow dye that is a brilliant color that almost glows.
The legend is that when you hold the leaves to a light, they are translucent and you can see that the dots and flowers have speckles of red. The common name (St. John’s Wort)supposedly comes from his execution of John The Baptist. The red spots on its petals represent the blood from his beheading, and the spots on the leaves represent the tears shed over the event. . . . . . 50 Seeds
