Welcome to the first ENGAGEMENT challenge for The Herbal HIVE! We're excited about having a CONVERSATION with you all about herbs, and we hope you like this way of interacting and exchanging information! We'll be creating collections all of these discussion circles so we can look back for information on each herb. If there's a herb you'd like to see featured, let us know in the comments below.
This week's herb is St John's Wort. @riverflows chose this one because - well, you gotta start somewhere! - she feels supported by it for depression and anxiety. It's the kind of herb that brings light into dark days, and that's the kind of thing we need a lot of these days, it seems.
HOW TO JOIN IN (EVEN IF YOU KNOW NOTHING!)
The point is to enjoy DISCOVERY. Even if you haven't heard of St John's Wort, you can join in by looking it up in a book or online and writing your fun fact below.
You can also talk about a plant that has similiar effects. Maybe, for example, St John's Wort is good for depression, but instead you use a different herb. You can write about that instead!
Some Conversation Ideas
Make sure that you read other people's comments too - and respond to them. You might use what others say to start your own discovery or path to learning about this herb.
- Write about your personal experience with this herb
- Quote a passage from a herb book on your shelf about what you found out - you can take a picture instead if you like (make sure you reference/source)
- Does the plant grow wild in your area?
- Have you ever made a recipe from this plant?
- What mythology can you find out about this plant?
- What are it's constituents? What makes it medicinal?
- What are it's contraindications?
- Do you know a poem, a podcast, a film that you can share with us?
- Having read a little about St John's Wort, is there a herb you use that has a similar effect on you?
Post or Comment?
We don't mind! A short or long comment, a short or long post - whatever you like! Just make sure your post is posted in the community and the link is posted below.
We'd love you to reblog this post if you can - let's get the word out!
Rewards
We're going to be rewarding great comments with upvotes and at the end of the week, we'll send the writer of the best comment/post as a beneficiary of the next Discussion Circle! We'll also be throwing some ENGAGE tokens at you, and maybe some extra HIVE if you really 'wow' us!
We hope you're loving this new community. We're supported by Abundance Tribe and natural medicine folk, so our upvote is growing. We really, really appreciate delegations, however small - they help US nourish YOU!
Suggestions
What herb would you like to see discussed in this The Herbal Hive's Discussion Circle? Let us know in the comments below!
Community II Delegate II Curation Trail II Discord
I used to make salve with St John's wort for my daughter. I have read that helps with skin conditions like dermatitis. She outgrew it already but I still make the salve. I use coconut oil as base and I add beeswax from our bees to fix the mixture 😊 the herbs - I add in the oil while it is heating (the oil is in small pot placed in bigger one filled with water, in bulgarian we call it water bath 😄 but not sure how this heating proccess is called in english). I always add calendula and st.john's wort, and few drops lavender oil in the salve. The whole family is using it and loving it. Thank you for this post, I love it ❤
Oh thanks so much for this recipe!!! I might try it as I have some extra oil!!! That sounds so lovely.. Yes it's a water bath in English too!!!
I have personally been using St. John's Wort and its' extracts for general calming of the body and mind whenever I take my morning supplements, combined with American and Siberian Ginseng, and Gingko Bliboa among others.
Knowingly, I have not searched for this herb and I will do more research as to if it this herb is native to my area, but current accessibility is very easy otherwise. But, I would love to acquire this herb naturally so this will be something I will be looking into.
St. John's Wort is an amazing supplement for any who wish to calm their mind, restlessness, and nervousness. Personally, I consume 600mg daily of St. John's Wort, and wish to write about supplemental usage personally through #naturalmedicine as well as also through The Herbal Hive.
Thank you for this opportunity to read others' experiences with this supplement and deliver my own. I recommend this supplement for anyone suffering from anxiety or depression, or to at least give it a try!
Excellent to know the experience of using this herb. Thank you very much for sharing.
Thanks for sharing personal experience... that's exactly what we need to read here! I have had it in a blend with American ginseng too, and kava and ashwagandwa and licorice all in one liquid. It was expensive though as I got it from a naturopath. If you can wildcraft it and make the oil you will love it and I know you'll love the podcast too! Thanks for sharing! 💙🙏🏼
I'm going to start off the conversation with a link to a podcast by Amber Magnolia Hill. She absolutely RAVES about this plant, and is a big fan of making the infused oil from wildcrafted/home cultivated plants, which inspired me to make my own. Awesome for nervous tension, muscle aches and pains, self care - it's really sweet and jammy! It's a lovely podcast and she talks a bit about it's energetics as well. Let me know if you listen - and enjoy!
https://mythicmedicine.love/podcast/st-johns-wort
I was talking about this with someone in our Discord last week, as we were talking about depression. I don't know how many times I've been so desperate I've gone to the doctors, and he's prescribed me some kind of prozac. Dumb really - I should just know to take SJW regularly or at least use it as a go to when I'm struggling. It takes a good month or so to kick in, as herbs work like that - slow and gentle, mostly. Then one day, I wake up and realise I've been fine for a while, and that life is brighter again. Stupidly, when I feel good, I stop taking it - but I shouldn't!
When the pain is gone we forgot the pain , it is human and somehow necessary to go into great feelings . When little down signs show up , it is time to take it again . Healing the shadows is no small work .
Will be giving this podcast a listen, thank you for your comment!
Well, I think you did well by stoping once you got well. Making it a routine activity might be tantamount to abuse. This is just my opinion derived from the knowledge of addiction/abuse.
Yes, I do need to study up more of long term of STJ but I think it's okay. I agree a break is a good idea!!
I'm not too familiar with the herb. Aside from it being used to treat depression and anxiety, all I know about it is that you need to be careful with it if you're taking any pharmaceutical meds. It can decrease their effectiveness. Important examples are contraceptive pills, HIV meds and anticonvulsants.
Yes, for sure I know you shouldn't take it with 5HTP too and definitely not with other antidepressants, benzos etc.
Can't believe I forgot to mention those 🤦♀
Even though you'd think benzos should have been the first thing to come to mind 😂
Thats right you two faced cunt - The only thing thats hilarious is that you are the one who spent two years calling aggy a pig all over discord (irony is real), and play the poor people card everywhere you roam. You and your mafia have threatened to "leave" the game with your virtue signalling demands until you get your way for 3 years. You are like a bunch of spoilt brats that threaten people, send them to discord prisons, totally violate their individual rightsd with group bully tactics, and then write posts calling other people Nazis. Its fucking hilarious how ridiculous you all are. I guess holding secret kangaroo courts is not related to nazis or stasi mother fucker tactics.
You are all a bunch of dictators and greedy fucking pigs, and will do anything to cover up your fucking filth. Including the hiring of whales to completely destroy others accounts with downvotes on posts and comments, to silence their message. You are now part of the scumbag class of splinterlands elite, who believes you are superior to anyone who dares question your fucking dirt and filth you all desperately scramble to cover up. Then you go into public and play the victim of the very same thimng you organise in the background, for a 10 cent downvote and play the fucking victioms, of what you yourselves have done, and actively continue to do by having them "banned" and thrown out of servers. Thats because you are fucking filth, and one of the dumbest fucking retards in the game. You are a stasi two faced cunt, and a part of the dictatorship of teampossible greed. The entire operation is run like a "soft" military outfit, of top down control. So fucking "decentrlised"....
Theres only one reason why you all play the poor people card. You love to exploit and enslave them for your own means and make sure you get a cut of their rewards for the rest of their time here. What a nice little "centralised" mafia scheme. Your version of "poor people", who are easy to exploit and enslave. You are fucking dirtbags.
BUT BUT I WANT TO HELP THE "little people"....You fucking shameless turd. Take that fake philanthropy shit and sell it elsewhere.
This is a good one. My initial thought was that this plant can't be growing around here. Then I did a bit of research and found out that one of the species actually grows here and is used in the treatment of depression as you said. I wrote a little piece on my research here https://peakd.com/hive-141827/@gentleshaid/st-johns-wort-antidepressant-beyond-anecdotal-evidence
A brief actionable points from the write-up
hello herbs lovers this is my entry in this context and i read some article about it and i want to sgare two usagevof this.
1St. John's wort is most commonly used for depression and mood disorders.this is a common and most community problem so this is helpful that type of pateint
. There is some strong scientific evidence that it is effective for mild to moderate depression so you can use this by read abou it.
2...When taken orally for up to 12 weeks in appropriate doses, St. John's wort is generally considered safe. However, it may cause: Agitation and anxiety.so please take about safty and dise.
@theherbalhive
#theherbalhivecontext
I'll add my experience, mostly because it highlighted a side effect rarely mentioned, which I feel should be.
I was at a really low point and started taking it to try and help level me out. I'd say it started to work. I had it in a capsule form and was nearing the end of the bottle and trying to decide whether to get another. I actually wrote about it on here and thankfully Ligayagardener, who was still on at the time, saw it and warned me that it could be an issue with my complection, being a redhead and pale skinned, he meant.
I'd actually been having tender skin and the slightest scratch was painful, almost like sunburn, except I wasn't sunburnt and the pain was lasting longer. When I looked into it, it turned out that it makes you sensitive to sunlight and at this point I realised that it was just the areas exposed to sun that were experiencing this, namely the backs of my hands, my arms and the tops of my feet exposed by my sandals.
So a warning there for fair skinned people. It took a couple of weeks after stopping taking it for my skin to return to normal. I surprised it's not mentioned more often in the cautions on it. Usually it's just the drug interactions that are highlighted.
My alternative is rosemary. It's not as efficient, but no side effects for me.
That's awesome, awesome information that really does add a lot of value to this conversation! I knew that STJ is rumoured to make you photosensitive, but hadn't heard anyone say that it had happened to them. Listening to that podcast the other day (the one above) she talked about this. She said it's really super rare or doesn't happen - it does with animals, like cows, as they eat tons of it - exactly why it's a noxious weed here in Australia and they try to eradicate it. I've been thinking about that ever since - why do people say it's a risk, but others don't? Is it only because they haven't heard experiences like yours? Really good to have these kinda contraindications noted as anecdotes and for sure they should be part of the warnings on the bottles! But then that's the supplement/vitamin industry for you. Another reason why we should do research/consult herbalists I guess.
That's interesting to hear from someone that it's rare, because what I actually read or heard (might have been Malcolm that said it as well) was that it increases photo-sensitivity in everyone, it's just not enough to be a problem to most, unless the are very fair skinned.
It's likely still not completely been investigated. After all, who's going to spend money that way to learn more about it. It could also be dependant on dosage, so perhaps a milder herb is just the thing for me. Again, something that likely needs more investigation...
Hello 🌿
I make face masks with that beauty 🙂
🌾White clay for the base
🦋Lemon HE
🦋Lavande HE
🦋Teatree oil HE
I mix those with some purified water
I leave it for 20 min
After i washed my face gently
And it helps for irritations , pimples and all types of bacterias
My mix Also clear the skin
As a Naturopath i have helped many people with it who suffer bad skin breakout .
Face , arms and back 🙂
Never mix too many ingredients , the magic lays in the perfect mix and connection
Same as permaculture .
I have been able to research that this infusion also helps to mitigate the symptoms of menopause so it is special for women.
Wonderful recipe to soothe the soul.
Indeed , great for menopause !
Fantastic! Perhaps you can share a post about it? This challenge was for St John's Wort.
Thanks for the encouragement @riverflows 🙂 I decided to try and write something on this topic:
https://peakd.com/hive-141827/@mamrita/st-johns-wort-bright-and-yellow-like-the-summer-sun
Les saludo cordialmente, en español (el internet no me ayuda con el traductor) Bien, me uno a esta publicación que confieso, la vi hace días y la compartí en su momento pero no pude comentar pues era necesario documentarme sobre la Hierva de San Juan. Primera vez que la oigo. Y gracias a ustedes @theherbalhive y a @riverflows además de todos los que aquí han aportado sus valiosos comentarios, por llevarme al conocimiento de esta planta. Por lo que veo crece silvestre pero la he buscado por mi vecindario y creo no reconocerla aún. Quizas está allí pero apenas estoy familiarizandome con ella, debo ponerme mejor mi lupa. Lei que si hay en Venezuela.
He tenido buena experiencia pero con la conocida pasiflora, pero en mi época de tratamiento lo usaba en jarabe, dos ó 3 cucharadas. mañana y noche, era como me lo indicaban los medicos y me lo daba mi madre. Era muy delicioso. A mi me encantaba su sabor en jarabe :) Por supuesto tuve tratamiento con infinidades de medicinas no naturales, la última que tuve fue Fluoxetina, con ella dure como 4 años. Pero por lo que investigué con la Fluixetina no hubiera podido usar hierva de san juan, por su efecto inhibidor sobre el fármaco.
Ya pasado los años. Muchos años...12 años para ser exacta, sin tratamiento médico. Gracias a Dios superada esa depresión profunda que me tuvo cautiva 20 años,. Sin embargo aprendí a no confiar en mi, y en casa de mi madre hay sembrada una plantita de pasionaria que me es muy útil. Mi madre cuando me visita me trae porciones de sus ramitas para que prepare té. Ella es muy relajante y de vez en cuando no dudo en prepararme una infusión. Su efecto sedante ayuda a nivelar la ansiedad. Los pensamientos que siempre llegan, por ciertas preocupaciones que nunca faltan normalmente a todos pero que cuando se tiene antecedente de depresión hay que pisarle adelante a la ansiedad.
Por cierto, mi ñiño de 9 años que no tomó nunca más Risperidona para su autismo leve, porque ya no lo necesito más para regular su humor, también a tenido sus dos buenas experinecias con el té de pasionaria para relajarlo e incluso sedarlo. Pues cuando está muy triste, él es muy emocional, le he dado té de pasionaria y es automático el efecto relajante en su caso.
✔️ El té de pasionaria: Lo preparo con una taza de agua y una hoja con su tallito. Sin azucar.
Otra planta que uso es la lochita. Tiene muchas propiedades para el cerebro, oxigenante y hasta para tratamiento de tumor cerebral. Ella es otra planta consentida en mi jardín y la tengo a disposión de quien la necesite en mi vecindario. La como hasta en ensaladas, de hecho la prefiero así. Cruda sabe a lechuga. A mi hijo pequeño le encanta. Eso es bueno para mi :) Mi niño no tiene problema para ingerir lo natural y posee un buen paladar.
✔️ Para ensalda con lochita: Uso no más de 3 hojas de lochita con sus tallos largos, en cualquier tipo de ensalada. No más de 3 hojas porque mis ensaladas son pequeñas en casa somos una familia pequeña. Y mucha lochita da un toque amargo, pues me imagino que es por lo verde.
Para mi esta planta es muy potente. De hecho estoy prepararando un publicación sobre ella para su comunidad. Esperenla pronto, deseo sea un aporte.
Disculpen el largo discurso.
Un abrazo sincero y virtual ♥
I am so sorry, but I don't speak Spanish - would you mind using the translator next time? Sometimes it's difficult for us to find time and we don't want to miss your comment. Much Love!
Sure, sorry. The internet has been more difficult in Venezuela. The same happens to those of us who speak Spanish to read content in English, unfortunately we often miss it because we can't translate it. Believe me, I understand you perfectly.
My virtual hug ♥
Valerian also has a calming effect...I used to take it as an infusion from a plant I had at home. Once I got valerian in tincture, in a health food store and it relieved me a lot. You can get St. John's Wort in Venezuela from the herbalists.
Muy bien, ciertamente la valeriana es muy conocida por sus beneficios tranquilizantes. Hace poco tiempo mi madre la sembro en su casa y allí está cuidandola para que se desarrolle y poder usarla pronto. Agradezco el dato para conseguir la Hierba de San Juan. Es muy amable en su respuesta.
Que tengas un lindo día ☕️
Otro abrazo virtual ♥
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STOPCheck out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Here is my entry and my first participation in the herbal Hive community contest: https://ecency.com/hive-141827/@repayme4568/a-work-presened-by-w
Hello everyone! This is my first post in this beautiful community.... I share with you my book of herbs against sadness.
My entry