Healing hypericum

Hypericum erectum Thunb., or otogirisou (Japanese), is an herb of grassy places and thin woods in the hills and mountains of Japan, Korea, and China. The plant is a lithe herb with decussate leaves and yellow flowers (Fig. 17). In Japan, the juice expressed from the leaves is used to heal cuts and sooth bruises. A decoction of the fruits is used to stop bleeding. In Vietnam and Cambodia, a paste of the aerial parts is applied to dog... 

The active components of the herbaceaous perennial plant Hypericum perforatum are antiinflammatory, antidepressive and healing agents, therefore, their analysis is of considerable importance for health care. Samples were prepared by extracting the dried flowering tops by hot methanol. RP-HPLC separations were performed in an ODS column (250 X 4.6 mm i.d. particle size 5 pm) thermostated at 30°C. The steps of gradient elution are listed in Table 2.49. 

Saint-John s-wort is one example of a natural herbal remedy for depression that has recently gained in popularity and prevalence across the United States. In Europe, it is reportedly outselling the prescription medication Prozac. Saint-John s-wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a lush green herb with bright yellow flowers that has traditionally been used to heal wounds and as a tea to soothe nerves and relieve melancholy. The natural antidepressant effect that results enhances the neurochemical serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine with few side effects (Lemonick, 1997). 

Despite the extensive traditional and current use of Hypericum in skin care and skin disorders targeted pharmacological studies related to these applications have rarely been performed. In a preliminary experimental study in human volunteers, equal quantities of hydroglycolic extracts from Calendula officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Anthemis nobilis, Tilia chordata, Centaurea cyanus and Hypericum perforatum were added at a 5 % level into the aqueous phase of 0.5 % hydrocortisone cream. When this preparation was applied to artificially induced skin abrasions, it was found that the plant extracts containing cream accelerated the healing time on an average of 16 % (3.4 days) versus the control [173). However, from this study no conclusions on the active ingredients and the mode of action can be drawn. 

---