A few years ago I discovered that St. John’s Wort grows abundantly in certain areas around here. In fact we had a pretty good size crop of it growing on the back of our property where we used to live. It blooms each year in June and I began harvesting the flowers from some of it and making a beautiful infused oil. When the St. John’s Wort flowers are infused into oil it turns a lovely deep red color and has a rich earthy scent. I began using a few drops in bath water and rubbing it onto skin. Soon I had created a beautiful pink salve that containing it blended with coconut oil and calendula, which works wonderfully as a baby diaper rash salve.
Here I am going to give you step by step instructions on how you can make your own St. John’s Wort oil or salve.
It is best to use fresh blossoms rather than dried ones in order to extract the beneficial properties of the herb as well as the beautiful red color. So, first you need to find a patch of it blooming and pick a basket full of the flowering and budding tops.
When you get home you can pick out large stems and any bugs, etc but there is no need to get overly carried away. Next crush up the flowers a bit and place in a quart jar. Cover completely with your oil of choice, I used organic olive oil. Be sure all the plant material is covered or you may end up with mold growing on the top because of the moisture in the fresh flowers. Place a lid on the jar and set it in a sunny windowsill for 2 to 3 weeks.
Now you can strain the herbs out of the oil. I usually use flour sack towel in a strainer because then I can really press all the oil through.
To make a salve combine 4 oz. St. John’s Wort oil and 0.5 oz of beeswax in a glass measuring cup. Place in a saucepan of water and heat gently on low until beeswax is melted. Pour into a small jar or tin and allow to cool completely. Use on burns, stings, rashes and scars to promote healing.
Note: from my research it seems there is a chance that the use of St. John’s Wort can cause photosenstitivity in some people so it may be best to to keep areas that you use this on out of direct sunlight.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment below to let me know!
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