St. John’s Wort
Hypericum perforatum
Medicinal Plants Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
St. John’s Wort is a cheerful yellow-flowered herb widely used as a natural antidepressant, with clinical studies supporting its efficacy for mild to moderate depression. Its flowers release a red pigment (hypericin) when crushed, a hallmark of the species.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6+ hrs)
💧
Water
Every 1-2 weeks
💨
Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
10-28°C
🪴
Soil
Well-drained loam to sandy soil; tolerates poor soils; pH 5.5-7.0
🧪
Fertilizer
Minimal — light compost in spring; too much fertilizer reduces medicinal potency
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
सेंट जॉन्स वर्ट
BN
Bengali
সেন্ট জনস ওয়ার্ট
MR
Marathi
सेंट जॉन्स वर्ट
TE
Telugu
సెయింట్ జాన్స్ వార్ట్
TA
Tamil
செயின்ட் ஜான்ஸ் வோர்ட்
GU
Gujarati
સેન્ટ જોન્સ વોર્ટ
UR
Urdu
سینٹ جونس ورٹ
KN
Kannada
ಸೇಂಟ್ ಜಾನ್ಸ್ ವಾರ್ಟ್
OR
Odia
ସେଣ୍ଟ ଜନସ୍ ୱାର୍ଟ
ML
Malayalam
സെന്റ് ജോൺസ് വോർട്ട്
PA
Punjabi
ਸੇਂਟ ਜਾਨਸ ਵਾਰਟ
AS
Assamese
ছেইন্ট জনছ ৱাৰ্ট
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Europe, Asia, naturalized worldwide
- 📏 Max height
- 30-120 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Interacts dangerously with many medications including SSRIs, blood thinners, and birth control; causes photosensitivity in livestock
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seed sowing in spring or autumn; stem cuttings in summer; division of clumps
🛡️ Health & Safety
Common issues
- Rust on leaves
- Root rot in wet soil
- Japanese beetle
- Leaf spot fungi
💡 Care tips
- Bright yellow flowers produce a red pigment when crushed
- Widely used as a natural remedy for mild depression
- Drought-tolerant and grows in poor soil conditions
- Can spread aggressively so control by dividing regularly
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 11 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
