St John’s Wort cut (Hypericum perforatum)

Its old Latin name was fuga daemonum: the demon-chaser. Bunches were hung over doors and windows on St John’s Eve to keep evil out of the house.

Origin & Traditional Use

Hypericum perforatum is a European and Asian perennial with bright yellow flowers that open around midsummer. It was traditionally steeped in oil to make a red infused oil for the skin, and used as a herbal tea.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Midsummer charm: gathered on or around St John’s Eve, 23 June, and hung over doors and windows to ward off harm and evil spirits.
• Banishing incense: burned on charcoal to drive out unwanted spirits and heavy atmospheres.
• Courage: carried in a sachet for strength and resolve.
• Love divination: in parts of Europe, young women picked a sprig on St John’s Eve and read their prospects of marriage by whether it wilted or stayed fresh.

A Simple Working

• On a sunny day, gather a small bundle of St John’s wort with a few sprigs of rosemary.
• Tie them with red thread.
• Pass the bundle through the smoke of a gold or yellow candle.
• Say: “Devil and harm, keep from this door.”
• Hang it above your front door, flowers down.
• Replace it each midsummer and burn the old bundle.

Pairs Well With

• Rosemary, for a protective door bundle.
• Vervain, another midsummer herb of protection.
• Frankincense, a solar resin for banishing incense.
• A gold or yellow candle, for solar work.

Lore & History

The plant blooms around the feast of St John the Baptist, which gave it its English name. When the flowers are crushed they bleed a red juice, which folk tradition tied to the saint’s blood, shed at his beheading.

What You Receive

Cut dried St John’s wort, available in 1 oz, 2 oz and 1 lb.