Strengthen the Inner Sun: St. John’s Wort

I brought my summertime sadness to St. John's Wort last week and laid it down at her feet, to be burned away. Summer is ruled by the Fire Element and it is the nature of fire to move up and out; it is pure expansion. We have all the elements within us but the element that rules the current season will often be turned up several notches. In the body, Fire is the core of our being—the flames of the heart and embers of our bellies—our Spirit.

The drive of the Spirit is to expand infinitely into oneness, and in the summer, this longing to connect + live to the fullest is heightened. So even normal human limitations like time, energy, hours of daylight, can become oppressive. For me, this has manifested as jumping from one thing to the next so many times throughout the day because I want to do + express + experience so much and am already anticipating the inevitable waning of the season, that I neither accomplish nor enjoy fully, amplifying the pain of this approaching end. When our light is not grounded, we can get lost in it, leading to energy leaks + over-sensitivity and eventually inviting darkness.

At this peak of lushness, we can't help but foresee the turning of the wheel towards decomposition + death, a reminder of our own mortality. So, amidst the revelry of summer there is also deep grief. We are feeling this extra heavy right now with the Sun opposite Saturn, the planet of boundaries and restriction, like a dark cloud blocking the sunshine. But ultimately, Saturn is using discomfort to get you to make a change. It pushes us to align our actions to our true essence, which requires bringing the illumination of the Sun into our hearts.

David Winston refers to the specific melancholy that results from an overactive Fire Element as “stagnant depression,” indicated by irritability and frustration and often resulting in nervous system and adrenal burnout. As a servant of the Light, St. John’s Wort can help us by anchoring the energy and warmth of the Sun into the body + mind, and teaching us how to radiate that inner light out into the world in a good way, keeping true to its claim to fame as an antidepressant. But it doesn’t work via the brain!  

What we are learning about depression is that it often originates in the gut rather than the mind—95% of our serotonin is manufactured by the gut. Burnout, emotional and antibiotic trauma, GMO + processed foods, cause our digestion to go haywire leading to a wide range of imbalances which impact the brain. The vagus nerve, which starts at the brainstem and travels all the way down to the bottom of your belly touching almost every organ (heart, lungs, liver, stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and more) along the way, senses what’s happening in your organs and communicates that back to your brain.

Under optimal circumstances, digestion is seamlessly orchestrated by the vagus nerve through vastly complex signaling and timing mechanisms. But when the gut is damaged, digestive confusion ensues, sending dysregulated signals to the brain.  

An under-performing liver and digestive system initiates an accumulation of unmetabolized hormones, metabolic waste products, and environmental toxins. Digestive insufficiency eventually gives rise to impaired nutrient absorption which lowers our vitality, facilitating stagnancy in our system. Liver stagnation is something many of us experience in the summer as we are sleep-deprived, over-imbibing food + alcohol at social gatherings, and working ourselves into the ground to capitalize on the season’s inspiring energy. If you find yourself going down this path to liver stagnation, St. John’s Wort is your ally.

According to the “doctrine of signatures,” this plant reveals its strong relationship with the sun in its stamens which are like rays of light piercing through the darkness; its ability to treat punctures in the skin, gut, and aura through in the tiny holes in its leaves; actions on the liver through its yellow coloration which represents the bile; and how it fills us up with our own true essence—which on the physical level is our blood—through the red coloration of the tincture and oil. A more linear way of describing St. John’s Wort’s antidepressant action is that it comes from its healing influence on the nervous system coupled with its ability to move stuck liver chi: by enhancing phase 2 liver detoxification, resetting the timing mechanisms in the digestive system, and sealing any perforations or leakiness in the gut and energy body, St. John’s Wort strengthens the solar plexus, the seat of our will.

The medicine of St. John’s Wort graciously illustrates the concept of non-duality of Mind and Body; both facets of our soul. Likewise, the plants’ healing intelligence flow through the wholeness of our being as reflected in their chemistry and energetics, and in the way they work through the organ systems and influence our psychology. The digestive system is the root of our vitality and when the root is damaged, the branches, leaves, and trunk can not thrive.  That is why I almost always look at healing the gut as a first step in my practice. This usually involves nervous system restoration alongside strengthening the digestive fire, rebalancing the microbiome including overgrowth of pathogens, and healing the gut lining.

There are several profound ways to work with the medicine of St. John’s Wort:

• Self-massage with St. John’s Wort infused oil brings the medicine directly into your nervous and lymphatic systems.

• Using the tincture in a custom formulation with other liver nourishing herbs, shen or spirit-lifting tonics, nerve restoring, or pain-relieving herbs, depending on your unique needs.

• Sitting in communion with the plant and receiving its subtle energy.

My virtual dispensary carries Herb Pharm brand St. John’s Wort tincture and Body Oil prepared from the fresh plant at 15% off:

*This article is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

**St. John’s Wort should not be used when taking certain prescription drugs, especially SSRI’s. If you’re taking any prescriptions, consult with a healthcare provider before working with this herbs.