Now the infused oil is something else altogether. We infuse the chopped flowering tops in olive oil for 6 weeks during which time the oil itself turns a glorious deep red. This oil is meant to be used externally. When rubbed into the skin its first action is, again, to relax muscles. It was my salvation during the years of neck pain with Lyme Disease. Used two or three times a day over a period of two to three days, it seems to begin easing tendon and ligament problems and used with the same frequency over a minimum of two weeks, it appears to relieve nerve damage and numbness. I've seen it work.
There is a caution with St. J's in any form. Some folks develop sun-sensitivity while taking it over an extended period of time. I heard of people who found they could take it when they were living up north, but not while on vacation Puerto Rico. Another friend who took it for a good long time to help with severe depression associated with a drug she needed to take for something else, described herself as feeling like she was sunburned from the inside out. It's a small percentage of the population who has these reactions, but it's worth making note.
A number of herbalists have changed the name to St. Joan's wort in honor of Joah of Arc as Hypericum perforatum is indeed a plant of the Midsummer sun and heat and who would know more about heat than St. Joan! The botanical name comes from the greek hyper (above) and eikon (picture) because it was hung above pictures to ward off evil spirits! Hey. Evilest spirits I know are viruses and St. J's is known to be anti-viral as well. Perhaps that's what they meant.
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