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Botanical Name
Hypericum perforatum

St John's Wort

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Details

St John's wort is a hairless perennial herb of the family Hypericaceae with yellow flowers marked by black glands and leaves that look perforated because of translucent glands. Wikipedia says it is native to much of Europe, western and central Asia, parts of Africa and China, and is now spread worldwide. Its flowers were gathered at Midsummer, which became St John's Day, and hung on doors to ward off evil spirits, which gave it the name fuga daemonum. Cunningham calls it masculine, with the Sun and fire, and links it to Baldur. He lists health, protection, strength, love divination and happiness. Worn, it wards off fevers and colds and attracts love. A jar of it by a window protects against thunderbolts, fire and evil spirits, and it is burned to banish spirits. Kynes adds Leo and Sagittarius, dream work, nightmares, fertility and release. Cunningham, Kynes, Wikipedia and the American Herbal Products Association all record hazards, set out in the safety notes.

Caution

Cunningham marks St John's wort Poison, which in his key means never to be used internally or on the skin, and says it may potentiate MAO-inhibitor medications. Wikipedia says it is toxic to livestock, that it can interfere with many prescription and over-the-counter drugs by speeding their metabolism, and that it can cause serotonin syndrome with other antidepressants and photosensitivity. The American Herbal Products Association says it should not be used during phototherapy such as laser or UV treatment, that fair-skinned people should avoid excessive sunlight, and that it induces CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, which can lower blood levels of many drugs.

References

#1#2#3#4

Correspondences

Elements
Fire
Celestial Bodies
Sun
Zodiac Signs
Leo, Sagittarius
Colours
No colours recorded.
Deities
Baldur (Norse; also called Balder, Baldr)

Folk Names

  • Amber
  • Chase-Devil
  • Common St John's Wort
  • Fuga Daemonum
  • Goat Weed
  • Herba John
  • John's Wort
  • Klamath Weed
  • Perforate St John's Wort
  • Rosin Rose
  • Sol Terrestis
  • Tipton Weed

Categories

  • Abundance
  • Blessing
  • Consecration
  • Divination
  • Dream Work
  • Faerie Sight
  • Fertility
  • Healing
  • Joy
  • Love
  • Negativity
  • Nightmare Protection
  • Protection
  • Purification
  • Release
  • Renewal
  • Security
  • Spirit Work
  • Spirituality
  • Strength

Substitutes

No substitutes recorded.

Forms

Flower

Cunningham has the flowers and leaves dried over Midsummer fires. Kynes infuses the flowers in oil for love and fertility charms. The American Herbal Products Association covers the flowering top.

References

#5#6#7

Leaf

Kynes burns the smoke of the leaves to prepare an outdoor ritual space, and Cunningham has the leaves dried and burned to banish spirits.

References

#8#9

Oil

Kynes sells infused oil, and Wikipedia describes St John's oil as a red oily liquid extracted from the plant that may help heal wounds.

References

#10#11

References

Notes

  1. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort"; p. 266.
  2. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 455-457.
  3. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  4. Wikipedia, under "Hypericum perforatum."
  5. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  6. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 455-457.
  7. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  8. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  9. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  10. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "St. John’s Wort".
  11. Wikipedia, under "Hypericum perforatum."

Bibliography

  • Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. 2nd ed. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2012. (EPUB.)158
  • Gardner, Zoë, and Michael McGuffin, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013. (PDF.)26
  • Kynes, Sandra. The Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: History, Folklore, Correspondences, and Spells. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2024. (EPUB.)37910
  • Wikipedia, under "Hypericum perforatum." Accessed October 23, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hypericum_perforatum&oldid=1375575520. Open the Source411