Zone: Outer Walkway Bed

Season of Interest: Summer (June – August)

The Doctor’s Notes (Medicinal Use)

Dr. Woodward would have been very familiar with the "red oil" produced by this plant. In the 1800s, it was a primary treatment for the nervous system and skin:

• The "Nerve" Herb: It was used to treat neuralgia, sciatica, and nerve injuries. It was thought to "repair" the nervous system after trauma.

• Wound Healing: When the flowers are crushed in oil, they release a chemical called hypericin, which turns the oil blood-red. This "Red Oil" was a standard 19th-century treatment for burns, deep cuts, and bedsores.

• Mood Balancer: Long before modern psychiatry, it was used to treat "lowness of spirits" and melancholy, helping patients find their way back to a "sunny" disposition.

The Household Assistant (Homestead Use)

For the Woodward family, St. John’s Wort was a reliable farmstead plant with a touch of protective folklore:

• Midsummer Tradition: In 19th-century New England, many families still held onto the tradition of hanging St. John’s Wort over doors or windows on Midsummer’s Eve to ward off "evil spirits" and protect the home from lightning and fire.

• Yellow Dye: The flowers were a common source of bright yellow or gold dye for wool and linen, making it a favorite for household textile work.

• Livestock Warning: While helpful to humans, Dr. Woodward would have cautioned the farmhands that the plant can cause photosensitivity in white-haired livestock (like sheep or horses), causing them to get severe "sunburns" if they grazed on it.

Botanist’s Corner

• Form: An upright, woody-based perennial that grows 1 to 3 feet tall with many branches.

• Foliage: Features small, oblong leaves. If you hold a leaf up to the light, you will see tiny, translucent dots that look like pin-pricks (this is where the name perforatum comes from). These are actually tiny glands filled with essential oils.

• Flowers: Produces bright, star-shaped yellow flowers with numerous long stamens that look like a burst of sunlight. The petals often have tiny black dots along their edges.