hypericum perforatum

action	analgesic, anodyne, antidiarrheal, antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hemostat, nervine, phototoxic, poison, reproductive aid, sedative, strengthener, vulnerary
common name	common st. john's-wort, st john's wort, st. john's wort
contains	hypericin, poison
family	clusiaceae, hypericaceae
indigenous use	cherokee, iroquois, montagnais
range	acadia national park, allegheny portage railroad national hist, apostle islands national lakeshore, assateague island national seashore, black canyon of the gunnison, blue ridge parkway, booker t. washington national monument, cape cod national seashore, catoctin mountain park, chesapeake and ohio canal, cuyahoga valley national recreation area, effigy mounds national monument, fire island national seashore, fort necessity national battlefield, friendship hill national historic site, gateway national recreation area, gettysburg national military park, glacier national park, great britain, great smoky mountains national park, greenbelt park, harpers ferry national historic park, hopewell furnace national historic site, hot springs national park, india, indiana dunes national lakeshore, isle royale national park, johnstone flood national memorial, lassen volcanic national park, little bighorn national monument, mammoth cave national park, manassas national battlefield, morristown national historic park, mound city group national monument, mount rainier national park, nez perce national historic park, north carolina, north cascades national park, olympic national park, oregon caves national monument, petersburg national battlefield, pictured rocks national lakeshore, poland, redwood national park, richmond national battlefield park, rock creek park, rocky mountain national park, roosevelt vanderbilt nat. hist. site, saint croix national scenic river, saratoga national historic park, shenandoah national park, shiloh national military park, sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore, spain, turkey, uk, us, whiskey-shasta-trinity nat. rec. area, wilson's creek national battlefield, yellowstone national park
used to treat	agitation, aids, cancer (stomach), catarrh, cough, depression, gastro-intestinal disturbances, irritability, neuralgia, neurosis, sciatica, skin ailments, snake bite, tumor, venereal ailments, wounds
comments	Hypericin, the active ingredient, might become a useful AIDS therapy, having the ability to inhibit retroviral infections in animal and laboratory tests. It must be used carefully, because large doses have poisoned grazing animals when they fed on it.