When I started researching this blog it was to be on the three St John's-worts, Hypericaceae, and I already knew that Perforate had a long history as a plant of magic and medicine. I quickly discovered that there were at least nine herbs of St John and as I had recently seen two of them, Vervain and Yarrow, I decided to include them. I had an amazing journey of discovery ahead. I have had to summarise the lore and history as a lengthy blog could probably be done on each.
Perforate St John's-wort, Hypericum perforatum
A native, found here in a Gloucestershire car park, is one of the most famous of European plants in white magic but I will deal with the botanical details first.
The bright yellow petals are at least twice as long as the sepals which are narrow and pointed. Stems are round with 2 opposite raised ridges.
Sepals and petals have a few stalkless, black glands.
The abundant translucent dots in the leaves are the main ID feature for me. These are resin glands. The dots were interpreted as this herb being a remedy for wounds. It has been used to ease a wide variety of physical conditions including dysentery and is now mostly used to prevent depression and to ease burns and wounds.
This plant, which had been known from pagan times, was later given a name from Christian culture.
It is likely a pagan rite was adopted by Christianity. The plant was picked on the morning of June 23rd, with the other Herbs of St John, before sunrise while still wet with dew. In the evening fires were lit and the flowers smoked to make them more efficacious in medicine and in protecting farm animals, horses and men against all evil. The smoke drifted across the fields and protected all it touched from lightning, drought and field fires.
Hairy St John's-wort, Hypericum hirsutum
Another native, this was growing on a woodland ride near Monmouth.
The stems and leaves are conspicuously hairy. The leaves are strongly veined with many translucent dots.
The petals are a pale yellow with stalked black glands on petals and sepals. These can be seen here.
Marsh St John's-wort, Hypericum elodes
This grows in mats around the lake at Woorgreens Nature Reserve near Coleford, in the Forest of Dean. The leaves are softly and densely hairy. The flowers do not open widely and on my first visit on a grey day they were tightly closed! The stems creep and the flower stems are erect. There are reddish glandular hairs on the flowers but no black glands on the plant.
Vervain, Verbena officinalis
Mabey says this plant of the Verbenaceae family is 'scrawny and nondescript'! I don't see it very often so always enjoy it. I found it in a car park in Gloucestershire and Gerard's note that it is found in 'untilled places, neere unto hedges, highwais and ditches' still holds true.
The stems spread and the flowers open 1 -2 at a time. The corolla is split at the mouth into 5 lobes divided between a 2 lobed upper lip and a 3 lobed lower lip.
Leaves are opposite (upper without stalks) but have narrow wings.The stems are four angled.
It has been cultivated in the UK since the Stone Age and was extensively grown in the Middle Ages as a medicinal plant. Garlands of it were worn on St John's Eve. It was prescribed for wounds, headaches, stones, eye troubles, childbirth and many other conditions: in fact a cure all. On the Isle of Man a piece of the herb was frequently sewn into clothing for protection. It was traditionally associated with the gods of war and gun flints were sometimes boiled with rue and Vervain to make them more effective. In 1767 a publication on the virtues of Vervain went into 16 editions in 10 years.
Gerard was uneasy about its reputation of magical properties and writes 'Many odde olde wives tales are written of Vervain' and Michael Drayton wrote in 1627 'Therewith her Vervain and her Dill, that hindereth witches of their will...'
The Church said it grew under the Cross at Calvary which could be reflected in the name Holy Herb in Somerset.
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium
The final Herb of St John in this post: a commonplace native much overlooked plant of the Asteraceae family and perhaps the one with the most surprising history. A powerful herb in Anglo-Saxon times associated with divination rituals, used as a charm against bad luck and illness. It was used as a staunching herb and was called Carpenter's Grass in places. It was a wound herb particularly recommended for wounds caused by iron. Gerard's Herbal associates it with Achilles who staunched the bleeding of his warriors' wounds with it and who gave his name to it.
Grigson says the Irish hang it in houses on St John's Eve to avert illness. An old German name was 'Salvation of all damage'. Will you ever look at this plant in the same way again? It is an ingredient in some modern rescue remedies or emergency essences.
The flowers are in dense flat-topped clusters and the anthers are orange.
The foliage is finely cut and gives rise to 'millefolium'. The stem is angular.
There is so much folklore associated with these plants I have only been able to scratch the surface of traditional and modern beliefs.
More info can be found in my sources and in many other books and webpages. Happy hunting!
According to Grigson Herbs of St John include not just Perforate St John's-wort, Vervain, and Yarrow but Mugwort, Greater Plantain, Corn Marigold, Dwarf Elder, Ivy and Orpine or Stonecrop.
Acknowledgements
Harrap's Wild Flowers
Stace 4
Grigson An Englishman's Flora
Mabey Flora Britannica
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