Now that you’ve learned how to forage for St. John’s wort, let’s turn those flowers into an herbal oil and salve that’s helpful for tired muscles, sciatica, cold sores, shingles, or general aches and pains! Show
If you haven’t read up about collecting this sunny summer herb, check out our article: Foraging St. John’s Wort: How To Identify And Harvest While we often use dried herbs to make infused oils, in this case we need to use fresh or slightly wilted plant instead. Once dried, St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) loses a lot of the effective compounds that you want to infuse into the oil. (If you don’t have fresh St. John’s wort available though, never fear! You can buy the ready made oil at Mountain Rose Herbs.) St. John’s wort oil is for external use only – don’t take this oil internally! Ingredients for the oil:To make St. John’s wort oil, you’ll need:
Directions to make the oil:
What kind of oil to use for St. John’s wort oil and salve:The classic oil to use for herbal infusions is organic extra virgin olive oil – and this is completely fine to use. Sunflower is another good choice, especially for those prone to eczema or sensitive skin. If you’d like a lighter feeling oil (which helps make a lighter feeling and less greasy salve), try using an oil that absorbs into your skin more quickly than olive, such as apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, rice bran oil, or safflower oil. You could also combine oils – including a small amount (about 0.25 to 0.5 oz) of a super light oil such as fractionated coconut oil (which is the kind still liquid when it gets cold) or grapeseed oil in your infusion will make the infused oil and resulting salve even lighter feeling. St. John’s Wort Salve RecipeYou can use all St. John’s Wort oil in this recipe to make an effective all-purpose basic salve, or you may wish to use part St. John’s wort oil and part of another kind of herbal infused oil. For pain relief or sore muscles, try combing with dandelion, goldenrod, or arnica flower. (Example: Instead of 3.5 oz St. John’s wort oil, you could use 2 oz St. John’s wort oil and 1.5 oz of arnica.) If you’re making a salve for shingles or cold sores, try combining with lemon balm which is an herb specifically helpful for the herpes virus. (Example: 2 oz St. John’s wort oil and 1.5 oz lemon balm infused oil.) Free free to get creative with the recipe and make it your own! Ingredients for the salve:Measurements are by weight; you’ll need a kitchen scale to make this salve.
Directions for the salve:
Essential oil options for St. John’s wort salve:
Our articles are for information and idea-sharing only. While we aim for 100% accuracy, it is solely up to the reader to provide proper identification. Be sure to seek out local foraging classes and plant walks, and invest in mushroom and foraging guides suitable for the area you live in, since some wild foods are poisonous, or may have adverse effect.
For the Infused Oil
For the Salve
To make the infused oil:
To make the salve:
Essential oil options for St. John’s wort salve:
What is St Johns Wort infused oil good for?St John's Wort infused in Sunflower oil has soothing, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Beneficial for inflamed skin conditions, minor wounds, insect bites, burns, sores and bruises.
How do you infuse St John's wort with oil?John's wort tops in a pint jar, then cover them with olive oil, making sure that all of the plant material is submerged (add a little more oil if needed). Cover the jar with a lid and put in a cool and dark place to infuse for 1-2 weeks, then strain out the flowers with a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.
What can you not mix St John's wort with?DO NOT take St. John's wort with other antidepressants, including: SSRIs: Citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft) Tricyclics: Amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil)
Can you take St John's Wort oil internally?Internal use: to address burnout, stress, anxiety, depressive moods, nervous tension; St. John's wort oil (red oil) can also be used internally to strengthen digestion or for dyspeptic complaints.
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