St. Joan/John's Wort and the Sun

From 

SURVIVING RADIATION THE WISE WOMAN WAY
~2002, Susun S Weed

"~ St. Joan’s/John's wort oil protects my skin from radiation damage. I use it as my only sunscreen (and I am outside a lot) and find it not only immediately effective in preventing and treating sunburn, but even more protective with continuing use over years."

Did you know that St John's wort can cause extreme photosensitivity in many people?  This can lead to very very severe sunburn and possible cataract formation.  My wife got a sunburn in this way. She never gets burned!  This burn lasted weeks, looked like she had been chemically burned it was so severe.  Just a heads up...

hello. I am sorry to hear about your wife and her awful experience. Herbs, like anything else, need to be used appropriately. Unfortunately, most of the people pushing herbs have no clue about how to use them, which leads to widespread misuse of herbs, causing lots of damage to innocent people. I would guess your wife used the herb as a store bought capsule, which is the way most ignorant doctors and alternative “healers” recommend. Sadly most doctors know very little about herbs or how to use them.

We always advise first to know what plant you are using, what part of the plant to use, and how to use it.

In the case of St. John’s wort, Hypericum perforatum, many people are selling and taking the herb in capsules, which is very dangerous and causes extreme problems for people. We use only the flowering top of the plant, and only in two ways, 1. In alcohol tincture, used internally, 2. As an oil infusion, for external application.

We do our best to educate people on the appropriate use of herbs, and we strongly recommend never ever using herbs in pills or capsules ever for any reason…this was mentioned in the radiation article…paragraph 18 (… do not use capsules of the herbs mentioned in this article.)

If you are interested in reading more on these topics, here are some links

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/March08/wisewoman.htm (article on St. Johns wort)

http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Simple_Safe_Herbal_Medicine.htm (using herbs simply & safely)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERHDdpRxVvo (Susun speaks about St. Joan’s wort oil)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRcHzgGkMJw (in the field making tincture)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IViRrGQeFE (Susun speaks about St. johns wort tincture)

We have been using the oil to prevent sunburn for decades, with great success…and we have seen many other do so as well…We have also been making and using the alcohol tincture for decades as well, with no adverse reactions. It is our strong belief that Hypericum is completely unsafe to use in capsules, and that no one should eat the plant, however we have consistently found the oil used externally and the tincture internally can offer many benefits with no adverse side effects.

I have been using both the oil and tincture since I was a small child, and now 45 with a small child of my own, I have no reservation of applying the oil to my daughter’s skin, or giving her the tincture, in appropriate situations. Let me qualify this statement by saying I make my own medicines from the herbs in my area, I do not buy herbs nor herbal preparations, and would be less inclined to use store bought herbal preparations on myself or my daughter.

Hope this helps.

Love, Justine

 

You can get your health questions answered by Susun on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions 1-646-929-2463. Visit the link for more info: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed. You can also join the free women's health forum where hundreds of wise woman can help you. Sign up for the free herbal healing ezine, filled with wise woman wit and wisdom. Visit the Wise Woman Bookshop for online university, gift shop, bookshop, digital downloads, and more. Go to www.susunweed.com for a complete list of offerings including radio show and free videos.

 

 

Comments

[CECILY PORTER]

Thank you for this information. I have a jar of SJW infused oil that I made a year ago and have been wondering what to do with it. Now I know!