St. John's Wort Oil for Burns

For those of us with a pale skin tan summer can be a as much of a curse as it can be a blessing. Come spring I can hardly wait to be able to wear short sleeves again and feel the warm rays on my skin, but my experience show that moderation and caution are necessary. Since my childhood I would get sunburns even after a short period of time in moderate summer sunshine which would usually ruin our family vacation. The anguish would be even greater had it not been for St. John's Wort oil. My mother would never leave for the holidays without a bottle of it stashed along with other medicines, bandages and the like.

St. John's Wort (lat. Hypericum perforatum) is a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes through the ages. Modern-day medicine has found out that some substances in St. John's Wort (e.g. hyperforin and hypericin) act as a sedative, anxiolytic (acting against anxiety), antidepressive and also as an antibiotic. St. John's Wort is thus primarily used internally as tincture or as tea against depression and to "lift the spirits." However, its use is not limited to these conditions. Antiviral and antibacterial purposes of St. John's Wort for instance make it suitable to cover smaller wounds and bruises with, thus preventing infection.

However, at least from my personal experience, St. John's Wort is the medicine of choice for sunburns or minor burns from handling hot objects like pans or pots. It should be stated, of course, that burns just like any other injuries may result in other more serious consequences and that it is always wise to consult a physician whenever you feel unsure of how to react. Nevertheless, when the issue is too small to bother the doc for, but still anoying enough not to let itself be ignored, St. John's Wort may be the remedy to use.

St. John's Wort oil can be made at home or bought at a store. I usually make it myself and in case you would like to make it too I will take you through the process. Firstly, for every litre of oil you need about three to four fistfuls of fresh or dried St. John's Wort flowers without the stems or leaves (but don't worry too much if you get some of them in as well - they won't hurt you). You can get it yourself in the great outdoors or buy it at a market of a specialised shop. Secondly, you need about a litre of quality extra virgin olive oil. Now, you may want to use other types of oil, like linseed, grapeseed, sunflower, almond or some other. That is fine, just as long as you pay attention to its quality - do not use some cheap alternative or you will regret it later, when the whole thing goes rancid before its due time. Using a substitute for olive oil makes sense, if you are going to use it for massages since some oils are more easily absorbed by the skin than others. Some people use St. John's Wort oil as a massage oil to relieve pain in muscles and joints and to improve mobility of joints, so try that out if you wish to. But, again from personal experience, olive oil in itself works best for burnt skin, providing moisture and nutrition along with a high dose of Vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant. All of that helps to minimize the stress on the skin for example from excesive sunbathing. Thirdly, you need clean glass containers, jars or the like that can be closed tightly. One of them should hold about half a litre and one should hold the total quantity of oil you are planning to make (a litre in our case).

When you have what you need, put the flowers in the smaller container and pour onto them as much oil as fits in the jar. Close tightly and put the container in a warm spot like a sunny windowsill. If possible, cover the outside of container with newspaper or cloth or some other material so that it stays in the dark - light, as you may well know, can quickly degrade the quality of the oil. Leave it there for about a week, mixing it once a day by shaking the container or turning it around a bit before setting it on the sill again. After a week the oil should obtain a dark red colour which means that it has pulled most of the good stuff out of the flowers. Now take a sieve and pour the oil into the larger container which you then store in a cool and dark place. For better results I suggest reusing the same flowers with the rest of the olive oil, but this time leave them on the sill for two weeks, again mixing them daily. This time the oil shall not be as red as the first time, but the change of colour should still be noticeable. Again pour the oil through the sieve into the same larger container so that it mixes with the first oil.

Let the oil settle for a while because there is bound to be some minute flower particles in it that have escaped the sieve. After it settles you may want to pour the oil through a piece of fine clean cloth to remove the impurities into smaller containers or flasks for practical reasons. Store the oil in a cool and dark place and be sure to close the containers tightly after each use - the air and light shorten its lifespan. You can use the oil for up to a year and a half if it does not turn rancid in that time.