St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), also known in Anatolia as the "twin-fold tree", grows naturally in many parts of the world. Europe, North Africa and America come first. In Anatolia, it is also known by names such as cantaron, cantur flower, and "kuzukıran". Its traditional use and medicinal properties have also accelerated the cultivation of the plant.

In our country, the flowers, fruits, branches and leaves of the plant are used as appetizer, sedative, diarrhoea suppressant and wolf-suppressant. Exceptionally, as a wound and burn enhancer, its use for muscle and joint pain and skin disorders, intra-oral wounds and tooth pain is recorded.

The chemical composition of St. John's Wort has been demonstrated by many scientific studies. Its certified pharmacological activity provides supporting evidence for many of the traditional uses indicated for St. John's Wort. Many of the pharmacological activity of the plant is attributed to the components of hypericin, hyperforin and flavonoids.

Its chemical content is hyperocytes, rutins, kercitrin, kercetin, and kemferols from the flavonoid family, which are the main naftodiantron compounds found in the subterranean parts of hypericin, pseudohypericin and isohiperisin.In addition, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and pherulic acid are hyperforin and phenolic acids found in approximately 2% and more.

Some behavioral studies conducted on rats have demonstrated the antidepressant activity of the plant by measuring animal exploration and locomotive activity in an unknown environment. Another study found that the plant’s methanol extract and pure hyperphorine in vitro significantly inhibited the synaptosomal absorption of serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, L-glutamate and GABA.

According to the findings of a series of in vitro investigations, the extracts of the surface parts of H. perforatum have antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria, in particular Bacillus subtilis and B. cereus.A leaf extract of H. perforatum has been documented to increase the immunity of mice against Staphylococcus aureus and Bordetella pertussis. Hyperforin has been shown in studies to have antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria including S. aureus, multi-drug-resistant S. Aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes and Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

In animal studies using various liquid extracts prepared from plants, rapid healing of wounds has been observed. In another study, a preparation prepared for ethanol was applied to wounds in which healing was found by increasing the rate of epithelization and strength.