How to Use St. John's Wort as an Anti-Inflammatory

While St. John's Wort is best known as a homeopathic antidepressant, the herb has many other uses as well. The active ingredient, hypericin has antimicrobial properties that make it an anti-inflammatory agent.

Things You'll Need

• Tincture of St. John's Wort
• Dried St. John's Wort
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (optional)
• 1 pt. alcohol (optional)

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Instructions

Soothe Inflammation Using St. John's Wort

• 1

  Visit your local health-food store to purchase St. John's Wort. The herb is available in many different forms. It can be purchased fresh and dried. You can also buy it as a prepared tincture, in teabags or in capsules.

• 2

  Look carefully at the labels of commercially prepared St. John's Wort to make sure the preparation is a standardized product. Standardized products of St John's Wort should have been processed, so that each recommended dose contains at least 3 percent of hypericin.

• 3

  Use an infused oil extract or a salve of St. John's Wort as an external anti-inflammatory agent. Apply it to the affected area and rub it in thoroughly to ensure that some of the herb passes through your skin.

• 4

  Drink an 8 oz. cup of a decoction of St. John's Wort, three times a day, to benefit from the astringent properties of the herb. This property is particularly helpful for cleansing the colon.

• 5

  Take 5 to 10 drops of St. John's Wort tincture daily as an anti-inflammatory agent. Since the tincture is an alcohol-based tonic, it contains more of the herb's phytochemicals. Alcohol tends to extract more active hypericin than water.

Make a St. John's Wort Decoction

• 6

  Place 2 tbsp. of dried St. John's Wort in a pan with 8 oz. of water.

• 7

  Boil the mixture, and let it simmer for 10 to 20 minutes before removing it from the heat.

Make a St. John's Wort Tincture

• 8

  Steep 2 oz. of dried St. John's Wort in a pint of anything from 40- to 200-proof alcohol. Many herbalists use vodka to make tinctures.

• 9

  Let it stand for 5 to 7 days, shaking occasionally to keep the herb from settling to the bottom of the bottle.

• 10

  Strain the mixture and discard the vegetation. Place the liquid in clean, small bottles with dropper lids.

Make a St. John's Wort Salve

• 11

  Pulverize the flowers of a St. John's Wort plant or purchase the dried herb.

• 12

  Moisten the herb and boil it for 15 to 20 minutes.

• 13

  Add 1/2 cup of corn, olive or safflower oil for every 2 tbsp. of St. John's Wort.

• 14

  Simmer the mixture until the water evaporates.

• 15

  Add enough beeswax or lard to make it a paste-like consistency.

• 16

  Allow the mixture to cool. It will keep for up to 1 year in an airtight container.