St. John's wort tea: benefits and harms, properties

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

St. John's wort has long been praised in Russia. “Just as it is impossible to bake bread without flour, so it is impossible to cure a person without St. John's wort,” says folk wisdom. To this day, this medicinal plant is widely used in traditional and folk medicine.

What is St. John's wort?

St. John's wort is a perennial herbaceous plant with bright yellow flowers, reaching a height of one meter. There are about 200 species of this herb in the world, 50 of them grow in Russia. In Western Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the most common St. John's wort, or perforated. You can meet this plant in the forest or in the field. St. John's wort grows like a weed along roadsides, in wastelands, in clearings. In such places, collecting grass for further use is not recommended.

There are several versions of where the name "St. John's wort" comes from. According to one of them, it came from the Kazakh language. In translation, "dzherabay" means "healer of wounds." According to another version, the name of the herb speaks for itself. St. John's wort can cause severe burns on the skin of livestock withwhite wool. This is explained by the content of a special pigment in the grass, which several times enhances the sensitivity of albinos to sunlight. St. John's wort is dangerous only for such animals.

The benefits and beneficial properties of St. John's wort are widely used in the manufacture of medicines. In addition, folk alternative medicine is indispensable without it.

Chemical composition

The flowers and leaves of St. John's wort contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals. The chemical composition determines the medicinal properties of the plant for its use as a medicine. Vitamins E, C, PP, essential oils, tannins, carotene, choline and other micro and macro elements provide effective prevention and treatment of many diseases.

Useful properties of St. John's wort. Its harm to the body

When properly prepared and in the right dosage, the flowers and leaves of the plant have a healing effect on the body. In alternative and conventional medicine, infusions, decoctions and tea from St. John's wort are prepared, the benefits and harms of which have become known for a very long time. St. John's wort is used as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, wound healing, antidepressant, diuretic and choleretic agent. It has a general strengthening effect on the body, thereby increasing its resistance to various diseases.

The benefits and harms of St. John's wort are as follows:

• Successful treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (colitis, gastritis).
• Removal of nervous excitement -acts on the nervous system as a sedative.
• Effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases (strengthens the heart muscle).
• Treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers.
• Normalization of bowel function (prevention of constipation, treatment of diarrhea).
• Treatment of diseases of the genitourinary system in women and men.
• Regulates the menstrual cycle, stops uterine bleeding.
• Used for bronchitis and asthma.
• Treats bedwetting in adults and children.

Useful qualities of St. John's wort can be listed endlessly, because it has long been considered a remedy for a hundred diseases. However, the grass is not as harmless as it might seem at first glance.

The indiscriminate use of folk remedies based on St. John's wort can cause significant harm to the body.

Firstly, St. John's wort, the harm and benefits of which depend on certain factors, constricts blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure.

Secondly, it is important to prevent an overdose of folk remedies and preparations based on St. John's wort. It can provoke abdominal cramps, cause headaches, nausea and vomiting, and increase testosterone levels in women.

Thirdly, with prolonged treatment, a slight toxic effect on the body may appear. It should not be used simultaneously with other medicines, as the plant reduces their medicinal effect.

Fourthly, it is strictly forbidden to combine medicinalpreparations and decoctions based on St. John's wort with alcoholic beverages.

Contraindications for use

St. John's wort in any form should not be taken:

• pregnant and lactating women;
• when body temperature rises;
• people with high sensitivity to solar radiation;
• with individual intolerance.

All products prepared with St.

St. John's wort tea: benefits and harms

You can make a healing drink with a pleasant tart taste from St. John's wort. St. John's wort tea, the benefits and harms of which have long been known, will help get rid of many ailments.

• Stop diarrhea. It is enough to take a tablespoon of dried St. John's wort and yarrow and brew in a glass of boiling water. Strong tea is recommended to drink in the morning on an empty stomach.
• Stop bedwetting in children. To do this, it is enough to drink a glass of St. John's wort tea some time before bedtime.
• Tea from St. John's wort and mint will help calm the nervous system.
• You can strengthen your immune system if you drink weak tea from St. John's wort and rose hips daily.

How to make St. John's wort tea

To make a really he althy drink, you should learn how to brew tea correctly. To do this, you need a porcelain teapot, which must be poured over with boiling water before adding the herb.

Drymixture at the rate of one teaspoon per glass of water. Then boiling water is poured and tea from St. John's wort, the benefits and harms of which allow it to be used as a tonic and soothing drug, is ready. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before pouring it into cups.

By mixing St. John's wort with other herbs, leaves and berries, you can enrich the taste and healing composition of tea. For example, if you add oregano and rose hips and let the raw materials brew in boiling water for at least half an hour, you can get a delicious tonic drink as a result.

Refreshing St. John's wort tea, the benefits and harms of which have long been proven, can be prepared by adding blackcurrant, raspberry or cherry leaves to the dry mixture. Such a drink will be not only he althy, but also especially fragrant.

How to prepare St. John's wort for the winter

St. This is the time when it blooms. For harvesting, not only the flowers of the plant are used, but also the upper part of the stem. St. John's wort is dried in the open air in a place protected from sunlight or in a well-ventilated area (for example, in the attic). Suitable for this and a special dryer for vegetables and fruits. The temperature regime should be set at 35-40 degrees.

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