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I just recently found your amazing channel! You create the BEST videos! You don't leave anything to guesswork and I don't walk away feeling confused. Thank you and keep up the inspiring videos. Time to binge on your blog!
Thank you so very much for your kind words and feedback. I'm working very hard on the channel - improving content and quality with each. Thank you for joining me on this journey 💚💚💚
Wow, that's an easy one to prepare. One of my niece is a nurse. And she once mentioned St. John's Wort for my anxiety. Thanks to you, I can make this now. Just have to find someone that grows it. 😉💛 Thank you Correne
Thanks so much and welcome to the channel! Don't forget to snag my freebies (listed in the description of this video) and/or check out my online membership!! Thanks so much for being here.
so great coming across your channel it does seems that fresh is best.i will certainly check out your blog and hope the the plants I planted will one day become an herbal infused oils, stay blessed
Aaaaaaaah im drinking St Johns wort tea right now. I've been an addict to cannabis and alcohol for about 10 years. Trying St Johns Wort once again this year. So far I've noticed (hopefully not placebo) that it makes my negative thoughts to be more in the background instead of biting me hard and consuming me. Very often I'm so depressed and consumed with negative thoughts that I can't think or listen to what people are saying because my head is so extremely full of demonic bad negativity which takes 99.99% of my focus and energy. St Johns Wort has reduced my anxiety to the point where my hope has became stronger. For example today I did work on the house with my dad and I was in the flow 70% of the day. I'm on day two of drinking SJW tea. I boil the flowers, stems and leaves for 10-20 mins. The tea water becomes red. I really hope this anti anxiety effect will become even stronger over time so I can live a life and not be consumed by anxiety year in and year out and being unable to have a real job due to extreme anxiety, especially social anxiety. Ok I hope someone finds this interesting and maybe someone have any tips for me. I'm thinking if I make a SJW tincture it would have a stronger effect compared to tea? Sometimes I eat the flowers too but they don't taste good. I don't care about taste, I'm only interested in the effect.
St. John's Wort is such powerful medicine for anxiety, depression and other nervous system challenges. If it is not too bold, perhaps looking into the world of flower essences to tackle the emotional and habit forming patterns that come with addiction. In clinic I have often found the combination of nervine herbs (like SJW) AND flower essences to be powerful in recovery and treatment. Best of luck on your healing journey and thank you for sharing your story with us.
@@SpiraeaHerbs I don't notice much anymore. Is there a good way to prepare it? Am I boiling it too long? Water gets red. Maybe I'm boiling off some good substance in it? Should I boil for 5 mins only? Or less? Or make tincture on it, or just eat the flowers raw? I heard SJW is most potent around midsummer. What to do? I need stronger effect I think. Or I'm gonna fall back on something bad soon...
Video was nicely done. Clear demonstrations and instructions. Thank you. Yours is the first video where I've seen the harvested parts chopped; which makes sense. Would a food processor be an option for chopping? I have trouble with my wrists.
I have lots of people ask about food processors. Personally I prefer having the connection with the plant by chopping by hand. But in your case it might be viable. The trick would be to pulse it but not pulverize it. Worth experimenting with!
I love your video! Great information and love your persinality! Im just honestly curious...when you dropped the herb on the ground and put it back in your pile. You said you do sell your herbs. Does the alcohol protect against the germs that may be been introduced? Im asking with pure understanding. I am so so thorough with cleanliness with stuff i make and sell to others so i am just curious!
Thanks so much for your kind words. Its truly appreciated. To answer your question, yes alcohol would take care of anything unwanted on your herbs. There is not much that would survive that alcohol-based environment. I am picky in the sense that I won't choose herbs that look like they are bug eaten or have spider webs on them or anything like that. I do ensure that they are the most vital and healthy plants when I harvest. Hope that clarifies.
Just found your lovely channel. I've been growing, proessing, and using medicinal herbs for a couple of years. I did not see any info on what comes next after packing and sealing the jars, which would be necessary for first-time tincture and infused oil makers.
I completely agree with you! And if wouldn't get me flagged with a cease and desist order from Health Canada I would totally share that. Unfortunately my country has very strict rules regarding providing medical advice to folks outside of clinic or my school. As deeply frustrating as it is, I navigate these rules so I can still share as much as I can for free. For deeper levels of knowledge that is where my membership platform comes in :)
Thank you very much. I have ADHD and chronic major depressive disorder. How much (in millilitres of the solution OR grams of the herb) of your recipe to take a day? (I know it's different for different people, but what's the minimum-maximum range?)
@@orangegummugger1871 Hi there! Legally I am unable to provide specific dosage or treatment information without a full consultation. Health Canada is very clear on this and so is Google (who owns this platform). What I can say is that you are looking at what would be considered chronic dosing, so 3x daily. This is not an acute situation.
@@orangegummugger1871 Catnip is amazing for humans! Works opposite for humans than it does for cat though. Calming for the nervous system and great for anxiety and depression.
I also wish the same thing, but due to strict regulations put forth both by Meta and Health Canada, I have to be very careful what I share. Especially dosage information. That is something that I am required to have an appointment in clinic for.
Either! Fresh herb teas are a delight and something special we only have access too for a short period of time so take advantage! For fresh herbs - 1 tbsp chopped herbs per 250ml of water :)
If you are harvesting from a clean location (no sprays or frequented my dogs), than I do not soak or rinse first. Especially in the case of tinctures because they are going directly into alcohol! If it's a groundcover it might be a different variety. Try to find out the botanical/Latin name so you can do some research.
I seriously dig that Moon Blade of yours. Forgive I don't know how to spell the proper name. However I was wondering how long one has to wait before harvesting Hypericum from initial germination? When is it mature from germination to harvest?
Mezzaluna! They are wicked for chopping up herbs efficiently. That's a great question! Your goal is to not stress out the plant. If you need to take most of the blooms just to be able to make medicine from it, you might want to wait until the following year when she's a bit bigger. She is a perennial so it will continue to get bigger each year. If you have multiple plants, you can take a bit from each plant. Does that make sense?
@@SpiraeaHerbs It makes perfect sense. You can use pruning as a form of LST (low stress training) to maximize yield but a yearling I think is to young for this. The plan is to make a patch of multiple plants. They're are quite a few seasonal affect and nerve issue around here. Is there any other hard that have a synergistic relationship with Hypericum?
@@sagwillie989 I have to be careful when making recommendations regarding specific health conditions as my government has rules about such things. That being said, I personally have always found a synergistic relationship between Hypericum and Verbena hastata. Might be one to do some research on. I hope that guides you in the right direction.
This is a great question! The red does come from oxidization. So when folks make oils and they WANT that red colour they will expose it to light, causing it to oxidize. Personally, my tinctures have never gone bright red. Closer to brown/green. But as they are exposed to more light and oxygen (opening and closing the bottle), they will start to turn more rust like in colour. Hope that helps!
I wish I could answer that! Truly! But I legally cannot provide that kind of dosing information unless folks have seen in clinic and have documentation and proof of a consultation. Health Canada has pretty strict regulations regarding this so as a practicing herbalist I do have to be careful. However I encourage you to do some research! I know the answer is out there if you just do some digging!! Always best to start with smaller doses as well. Best of luck!!
Unfortunately I am legally unable to provide medical advice to people outside of clinic as per Health Canada regulations. I would say that it would greatly depend on the cause of the headache (ie nerve pain, muscle pain, residual virus in the system etc.), the overall health and vitality of the person in general and whether or not they received any of the covid vaccines. All of those factors add layers of information in terms of choosing the right herbs for the person.
Hi Christie. My apologies for missing this comment. For fresh herbs I tend to leave them in for 4-6 weeks, but checking fairly often to ensure we have no mold/mildew growth.
I know lots of people who use them! Personally I find I have a deeper connection with the plant by chopping it myself, but that's my personal practice of integrating the spirit of the plant as well. That isn't how everyone works, so I would try it and see how you like it. It's really the only way to know 😊
@@SpiraeaHerbs Understood. Could the UV sensitivity from hypericin exposure be chronic, or is it temporary? Also, the foliage of St. John’s Wort on my property appears to be different from yours. I think I have Hypericum calycinum. Is this variety also effective/safe as an herbal medicine?...I appreciate your feedback and will consider it in harvesting it for the first time😁.
@@jangsy33 In my clinical experience it is temporary. Once a client stops taking it internally, their sensitivity to the sun wanes fairly soon afterwards. I can't say exactly how long, but it does seem evident that it's while they are taking it. I do not have experience with that variety of Hypericum, but my understanding (further reading on your part will be needed) that they are fairly interchangeable. Especially if you have evidence of the hypericin content (by crushing the flowers and getting that beautiful red pigment). Good luck!
@@jangsy33 If you remember, let me know how it goes! I do believe you should pulse to avoid going from chopped to pulverized. That just makes sense in my head. Lol
What is the max temperature you would say was safe to heat it? Also if I use the heat treatment can I shorten the time involved and is the product the same or inferior? Sorry for all the questions but I really appreciate your time as I am trying to learn the best methods to make my own.
Questions are always welcome. I would NEVER go above what most slow cookers have setting of "warm". Too high and you will cause the oils to go rancid destroying your products. Warming it will shorten the duration yes, but don't be tempted to go too high on your heat!
@@SpiraeaHerbs I used a wax warmer because we weren't going to have sunshine for a while. I checked the temperature and the highest seemed to be 140 f, would that be too high?
You certainly can. It's not my preference only because I know Hypericum specifically loses a lot of its potency when dried, but if you prefer tea as your medicine medium I would definitely try it!
I have a lot of Hypericum mutilum growing in my yard here in the Atlanta area. Otherwise known as Dwarf St Johns wort. It grows wild. Before I found out what it was I thought it was just another annoying weed. The leaves look a lot like oregano leaves.
I am new to this and so maybe this is a dumb question, but maybe it will help someone else, so here goes... You said you were adding 30% alcohol and 10% glycerine, to me that make 40%?? Am I missing something? Please forgive my lack of knowledge but I want to fully understand what I am doing. Do you have a video on how you make your menstruum?
The rest is water 😉 So 60% good quality spring or well water, 30% alcohol and 10% vegetable grade glycerin. I don't have a video on making it but I'll add it to my list of ideas. Thanks for leaving a comment!
If you check out the description of the video there is a link to my shop :) Feel free to email me as well and if the question is within the scope of my practice I will try to help.
I personally do not wash my herbs. The time it takes for them to dry means they are wilted and lose potency during that time. I will allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes on a cutting board to allow any bugs to crawl out though. I am also very careful about where I harvest from ensuring no sprays have been used.
Oh thanks a million. I want to create my own balm product and the recipee included both of those two types and that confused me a bit. You are so kind,thank you 😊
Hi there! My country's health regulations restrict me from answering any personal health questions without a clinic appointment... that being said I can speak generally. Hypericum is a diuretic and it does have properties in nerve regeneration/inflammation so if the overactive bladder is due to a nervous condition of some kind - or even emotional reasons (because St. John's is also a great nervine), it could be a good ally!
It will never work like pharmaceutical meds, but as part of your holistic treatment it's an amazing support for depression. I've used it before yes and with success.
@@SpiraeaHerbs Did it ever caused photosensitivity in the sunlight ? I used it dried herb of nature ways, helped great in relieving anxiety but it was causing sun light sensitivity then i quit using it . I heard that SJW causes eyes issue . that why I could not use it further
@@SM-by8mg It is photosensitizing. I haven't noticed it with my red light at all, but if I'm out in the sun for long periods of time I will burn a bit faster than normal. Never heard about the eye issue thing though! Please forward me any studies you found saying that because I would love to learn more about this. Thank you!
@@SpiraeaHerbs pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23453985/ . I got photosensitivity in the sun light and when i search out than i came across this research paper . I am now worried about my eyes and condemn myself that why i stated this herbal.
Unfortunately I am not familiar with that variety in my work. Because it is a Hypericum there are likely similar properties. Definitely worth more research. Share what you find if you can!
Hypericum calycinum is an ornamental St John's wort that is widely grown in the Portland, Oregon area where I live. It has stalks up to about a foot or so tall, each with leaves about the size of your thumb, topped with a single flower almost 2 inches across. Beautiful and showy. The little bit of info I could find indicated it may have some medicinal value but probably less hypericin. Last year I made an infused oil with its flowers and leaves (dried, due to larger amount of water compared to H. perforatum). Used it to massage painful nerves in hands, but not enough to report any significant effects.
You want to harvest a plant near the beginning of its flowering period. That will vary depending on what zone you live in, your climate and the part of the world you hail from. For us, Southern Ontario, it tends to flower near and around the summer solstice. Hope that helps!
@@SpiraeaHerbs I’m in southern Maine, learning about herbalism in the new year I’m very excited to see what I can find definitely plan on planting the essentials around my garden!!
@@gigglemachine900 Do you know what your USDA growing zone is? We are a 4 (borderline 5) and Hypericum tends to flower just after the solstice. In a true zone 5 it's usually right around then. The real trick is to ensure the plants are not overly pollinated, starting to wilt and are noticeably less vibrant. That's why we aim for the beginning to middle of it's flower period! I am very excited for you! Starting new gardens and incorporating medicinals is such an awesome adventure. A worthy one too! Enjoy.
@@countrygalinthecity My only guess is that it might be a different plant? Did it have the botanical name on it? Because this one is Hypericum perforatum and there is also Hypericum calycinum.
