How does St. John’s wort work, how do you use it and what are its side effects and interactions? Here you can find an overview of the medicinal plant.
Effect and application of St. John’s wort
St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) with its bright yellow flowers has been used as a medicinal plant for many centuries. It can be used as a home and medicine at various complaints help:
mental exhaustion
mild depression (preparations made from St. John’s wort are approved as herbal medicinal products for mild to moderate depression. Studies According to St. John’s wort can have a comparable effect to standard drugs, but most of them only lasted for eight weeks, while depression usually lasts longer)
mild skin inflammation such as sunburn
Wounds
in the homeopathy: Bruises, toothache, migraines and nerve injuries (for example after an accident)
However, you should not try to treat yourself with St. John’s wort alone. It is best to seek medical advice, especially if you have more severe symptoms or symptoms.
Tips for using St. John’s wort
You can use St. John’s wort in different forms: as an oil, ointment or cream, tea or in the form of tablets. It does not work immediately, but only after a few weeks.
Caution:Food supplements and preparations from the drugstore often have due to their dosage no reliable effect. Pharmacy-only products are dosed in a sufficiently high dose.
St. John’s wort tea:
Preparation: Pour boiling water over a heaping teaspoon of the medicinal herb per cup and let the tea steep for ten minutes.
Having a cup of tea in the evening can help you calm down and promote your sleep.
Especially in the cold season, St. John’s wort tea is also a welcome mood-enhancer and can counteract Winter depressionhelp.
St. John’s wort oil:
You can use St. John’s wort topically in the form of oil – it is supposed to be anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving Act.
The oil can help with minor injuries, for example bruises, muscle tension or light bruises.
St. John’s wort oil is also suitable as Massage oil.
If you have skin problems, you can Creams with St. John’s wort extract use – through the antibacterial effect of the medicinal plant, the healing is achieved accelerated.
St. John’s Wort: You should know these side effects
In general, St. John’s wort is considered to be well tolerated. However, since most of the ingredients have a pharmacological effect, you should consider the plant as a medicinal product and think about side and side effects before ingestion Interactions inform with other medication.
St. John’s wort can increase photosensitivity: If you get sunburn quickly anyway, you should refrain from applying it externally to the skin in summer or use additional sunscreen.
Occasionally, dizziness, tiredness, or gastrointestinal problems may occur.
St. John’s wort can severely limit the effect of other drugs: Organ donors, cancer and HIV patients and diabetics in particular should clarify beforehand whether their drugs are compatible with St. John’s wort.
Experts advise pregnant and breastfeeding women not to take St. John’s wort.
St. John’s wort is suspected of impairing the effectiveness of the birth control pill. Even if the studies on this are not entirely clear, St. John’s wort is only available for women who do not want to have children hormone-free contraception to recommend.
Where can I buy St. John’s wort?
To protect your health and the environment, you can pay attention to the origin of the products and an organic seal when buying them – it’s best to ask in the health food store or pharmacy!
You can also find products with St. John’s wort on the Internet: loose St. John’s wort tea is available from **Amazon, a care oil with St. John’s wort at **Memolife.
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