Johanniskraut-Öl - St. John's wort - Oil (1)

Johnanniskraut-Öl
"St. John's wort" - Oil
(Hypericum perforatum)

St. John's wort is found around midsummer until august and sometimes september, often on sunny slopes to the forest or along meadows.

The blossoms are used for therapy of depression (i.e. in forms of capsules and tea), and Hypericum perforatum is a well known homöopathic remedy as well. "Perforatum" by the way means the tiny holes in the blossoms :-) If crushed, the fingers become red.

The oil though is an allround remedy for the skin - irritations, rashes, sores, bruises, even cuts.

Ok - naturally it would be best to collect the blossoms before noon, and around full moon, too :-) I just had some time yesterday, and as I collect them step by step from different places anyway, waxing moon works well enough for me.

Simply put some olive oil in a kind of glass jar and collect new blossoms freshly opened. Make sure that all are well covered with oil. Set them out into the sun and gently move them from time to time. Pour more oil, if they are not fully covered.

After some time the oil will become red! That is when it is filtered and poured into a dark glas bottle (pictures will follow). This way it will - very practical - keep for about a year, until the next summer season :-)