30-2 
History and Habitat.—This European immigrant has become so thoroughly 
naturalized with us as to become a very troublesome weed upon our farm-lands, 
where its rapid and rank growth render it difficult to exterminate and very ex- 
hausting to the soil. It flowers in July and August, and fruits a little later. 
Hypericum is mentioned by some of the earliest writers upon Materia Medica 
as a febrifuge and anthelmintic. Paul of A‘gina speaks of it as an emmenagogue, 
and as being desiccative and diuretic; also as a vulnerary. Galen, Dioscorides 
and others recommend its use as above. Gerarde says, in his Hlerbal/: “S. John’s 
Wort, with his flowers and seed boyled and drunken, provoketh urine, and is right 
good against stone in the bladder, and stoppeth the laske. The leaves, flowers, 
and seeds stamped, and put into a glass with oyle olive, and set in the hot sunne 
for certain weeks together, and then strained from these herbes, and the like quan- 
tity of new put in, and sunned in like manner, doth make an oyle of the colour of 
blood, which is a most precious remedy for deep wounds and those that are thorow 
the body, for sinews that are pricked, or any wound with a venomed weapon.” 
The popular and empirical uses of this plant were various, depending in great 
part upon its balsamic odor and property. Among the more superstitious peas- 
antry of Middle Europe the most astonishing virtues were assigned to the herb; 
it became in fact with them a fuga demonum, and was gathered under this idea, 
especially on St. John’s Day. It was also supposed to be useful in mania, hys- 
teria, and hypochondriasis. Later on, especially in Eclectic practice, it became 
noted as a diuretic, astringent, nervine, and anti-hemorrhagic, but is thrown aside 
by the so-called “regulars,” whose latest author (our contemporary, Dr. Johnson) 
says:* “In scientific medicine it has become obsolete long ayo. One author of 
comparatively recent date considers ‘the saturated tincture nearly as valuable as 
that of arnica for bruises, etc.’ As tincture of arnica, however, apart from the alco- 
hol which it contains, is of doubtful efficacy in these cases, the above statement 
does not tend to inspire faith in St. John’s Wort.” This, my reader, is one of the 
deductions of “scientific medicine.” | 
The great use of Hypericum in wounds where the nerves are involved to any 
extent is the rightful discovery of the true science of medicine. Dr, Franklin, who 
had ample field to test it during the war, says: “Lacerated wounds of parts rich 
in nerves yield nicely to this drug.” Many cases of injury to the cranium and 
spinal column are reported benefited by its use; and every homceopathic phy- 
sician of at least three months’ practice can attest to its merits. It is to the ner- 
vous system what arnica is to the muscular. . 
Hypericum is no longer officinal in the pharmacopeeias. In the Eclectic Materia 
Medica its preparation is /ufusum Hyperict. 
PART USED AND PREPARATION.—The fresh blossoming plant is chopped 
and pounded to a pulp and weighed. Then two parts by weight of alcohol are 
taken, the pulp mixed thoroughly with one-sixth part of it, and the rest of the 
alcohol added. After having stirred the whole well, pour it into a closely-stop- 
pered bottle, and let it stand eight days in a dark, cool place. 
* Med. Bot. of North America, Wood’s Library, Dec., 1884. 
