Common St. John's wort

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Klamath weed
• common St. John's-wort
• perforate St. John's-wort
• Common St. John's Wort
• Perforate St John's-wort
• St. John's-wort
• St. John’s-wort
• Tiptonweed
• goatweed
• racecourseweed
• Gammock
• Herb-John
• Penny-John
• Rosin-Rose
• Saint John's wort
• St. John's Grass
• St. John's wort
• Touch-And-Heal
• goatsbeard

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known scientifically as Hypericum perforatum, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is categorized under the order Malpighiales and the family Hypericaceae. Finally, its taxonomic classification is completed by its placement within the genus Hypericum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, known as Hypericum perforatum, is widely distributed across various regions of Northern Europe. It can be found growing naturally throughout the landscape of Denmark. The species also thrives in the northern territories of Finland and Norway. Additionally, its presence is well-documented across the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Together, these locations represent a significant portion of its northern geographical range.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

Hypericum perforatum exhibits a highly versatile ecological profile, thriving across a broad spectrum of environments ranging from low-lying coastal areas to high-altitude alpine zones. Its elevational range is extensive, spanning from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 3600 m AMSL. This adaptability allows the species to colonize a diverse array of habitats, including crop fields, forests, hills, meadows, mountains, roadsides, shrubberies, steppes, and stony places. Despite its ability to inhabit such varied terrains, the plant does not form symbiotic relationships with fungi, as it lacks mycorrhizal associations.

Elevational range max:

3600 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

crop fields, forest, hills, meadows, mountains, roadsides, shrubberies, steppe, stony places

Mycorrhiza :

no

Life history

The life history of Hypericum perforatum is characterized by its classification as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. Functionally, it operates as a hemicryptophyte, a life form where the perennating buds are located at the soil surface, protected by leaf litter or debris during unfavorable conditions. The species exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its foliage annually as it transitions through its seasonal cycles. This combination of a perennial lifecycle, a hemicryptophyte growth habit, and deciduous phenology enables the plant to effectively navigate varying environmental shifts and re-establish its vegetative presence each spring.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Hypericum perforatum is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and specifically a forb. This terrestrial plant is independent, meaning it does not function as a parasite or an epiphyte, and it is a self-supporting species rather than a climber or vine. The shoots exhibit an erect orientation, growing vertically from the ground. In terms of stature, the plant displays significant variation in height, ranging from a minimum of 0.02 m to a maximum of 1 m, with an average plant height of approximately 0.454 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height mean:

0.454 m

Plant height min:

0.02 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Hypericum perforatum is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, utilizing standard carbon fixation processes typical of temperate herbaceous plants. As a non-carnivorous species, it relies entirely on soil nutrient uptake and does not function as a nitrogen fixer. The plant's leaf morphology plays a critical role in its metabolic efficiency, featuring an elliptic leaf form with a mean leaf size of approximately 1.47333 cm². The leaves exhibit specific dimensional variations, with a minimum leaf length of 1.5 cm and a maximum length reaching up to 2 cm, while the leaf width ranges from a mean of 0.5 cm to a maximum of 2 cm (noting a minimum recorded width of 1.5 cm in specific datasets). These morphological traits contribute to a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 260.64 cm²/g, reflecting the plant's strategy for balancing light interception and resource allocation within its environment.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

2 cm

Leaf length min:

1.5 cm

Leaf size mean:

1.47333 cm²

Leaf width max:

2 cm

Leaf width mean:

0.5 cm

Leaf width min:

1.5 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

260.64 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Hypericum perforatum is primarily achieved through sexual means, utilizing bisexual flowers that facilitate the production of offspring. The flowering period typically commences in June and extends through August, featuring distinctive yellow flowers that range in length from 0.9 cm to 1.5 cm. These flowers exhibit a biotic pollination syndrome, specifically relying on insects such as bees to facilitate pollen transfer, though self-fertilization is also present. Following successful pollination, the plant develops dry, red capsules as its fruit type. These capsules are dehiscent and vary in size, with a mean length of 0.7 cm (ranging from 0.5 cm to 0.9 cm) and a mean width of 0.7 cm. Within these capsules, the plant produces a high volume of seeds, often exceeding 1,000 seeds per fruit. The individual seeds are quite small, characterized by a consistent length of 1.1 mm and a volume of approximately 0.13 mm³, with a mean mass of 0.000162254 g (ranging from 3.7e-05 g to 0.001 g). Dispersal is categorized as anemochorous, meaning the seeds are primarily spread by the wind. Notably, asexual reproduction is absent in this species.

Dehiscence :

dehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Flower colour :

yellow

Flower length max:

1.5 cm

Flower length min:

0.9 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Aug

Fruit colour :

red

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

0.9 cm

Fruit length mean:

0.7 cm

Fruit length min:

0.5 cm

Fruit type :

capsule

Fruit width mean:

0.7 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed length mean:

1.1 mm

Seed mass max:

0.001 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000162254 g

Seed mass min:

3.7e-05 g

Seed volume max:

0.13 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

>1000

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Hypericum perforatum has 5 reported plant parts identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include flower, leaf, root, fruit, stem.

Flower

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine
3. Journal of chromatography. A
4. Pharmaceutica acta Helvetiae
5. Planta medica

Leaf

1. Journal of chromatography. A
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Annals of botany
4. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
5. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Root

1. Journal of biotechnology
2. European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V
3. Biotechnology advances
4. The New phytologist
5. Journal of the science of food and agriculture

Fruit

1. Planta medica
2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Stem

1. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Chemicals

Hypericum perforatum has 328 reported phytochemicals identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include hypericin, hyperforin, Flavonoids, pseudohypericin, quercetin.

hypericin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti
3. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics

hyperforin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Brain research
3. Journal of biotechnology
4. Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Flavonoids

1. Dr. Duke
2. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
5. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

pseudohypericin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Annales pharmaceutiques francaises
5. Phytochemistry

quercetin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Journal of chromatography. A
4. The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics
5. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)

RUTIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. Annales pharmaceutiques francaises
3. Journal of chromatography. A
4. Talanta
5. Journal of chromatographic science

Hyperoside

1. Dr. Duke
2. Annales pharmaceutiques francaises
3. Journal of chromatography. A
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Talanta

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
4. The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics
5. Journal of chromatographic science

Amentoflavone

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Pharmaceutica acta Helvetiae
4. Planta medica
5. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Isoquercitrin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Annales pharmaceutiques francaises
3. Journal of chromatography. A
4. Journal of chromatographic science
5. Scientific reports

Activities

Hypericum perforatum has 649 reported activities identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antidepressant, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antiviral, Analgesic.

Antidepressant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology
4. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
5. Current medical research and opinion

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
3. Frontiers in plant science
4. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
5. Scientific reports

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences
4. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
5. Pharmaceutical biology

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
4. Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
5. International journal of molecular sciences

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
4. Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy
5. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

Antimicrobial

1. Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti
2. Scientific reports
3. Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Medicinski glasnik : official publication of the Medical Association of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Genes
3. Scientific reports
4. Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
5. Sexual plant reproduction

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine
3. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Current cancer drug targets
5. Applied microbiology and biotechnology

Anxiolytic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Indian journal of experimental biology
3. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
4. Neuroscience letters

Neuroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Brain research
3. Toxics
4. International journal of molecular sciences

Conditions

Hypericum perforatum has 199 reported investigations on conditions identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include depression, antidepressant, anxiety, burns, wound healing.

Depression

1. Psychiatria polska
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Journal of biotechnology
4. Psychopharmacology
5. Methods of information in medicine

Antidepressant

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti
3. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
4. The Annals of pharmacotherapy
5. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Anxiety

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Revista de enfermeria (Barcelona, Spain)
3. Brain and behavior
4. Drug design, development and therapy
5. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology

Burns

1. Brain and behavior
2. Pharmaceutical biology
3. Plant methods
4. Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Wound healing

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. Journal of wound care
3. Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry
4. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
5. Journal of applied biomaterials & functional materials

Inflammation

1. Toxics
2. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
3. Phytotherapy research : PTR
4. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology

Oxidative stress

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
3. The journal of medical investigation : JMI
4. Phytotherapy research : PTR
5. Journal of the science of food and agriculture

Wounds

1. Infectious disorders drug targets
2. Brain and behavior
3. Pharmaceutical biology
4. Plant methods
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Alzheimer's disease

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Genes
3. Current topics in medicinal chemistry
4. The American journal of Chinese medicine
5. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Antiviral

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. PloS one
4. Sexual plant reproduction
5. Harefuah

Preparations

Hypericum perforatum has 112 reported preparations identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include extract, extracts, methanolic extracts, H. perforatum extract, Hypericum perforatum extract.

Extract

1. Pharmacopsychiatry
2. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences
3. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
4. Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
5. Journal of neurochemistry

Extracts

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
2. Planta medica
3. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM
5. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan

Methanolic extracts

1. Journal of biotechnology
2. Scientific reports
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
5. Journal of chromatography. A

H. perforatum extract

1. Free radical biology & medicine
2. Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry
3. Shock (Augusta, Ga.)
4. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Hypericum perforatum extract

1. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM
2. BMJ (Clinical research ed.)
3. Shock (Augusta, Ga.)

Hydroalcoholic extracts

1. Roumanian archives of microbiology and immunology
2. Scientific reports
3. Future science OA

Co2 extract

1. Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
2. Pharmacopsychiatry

Jarsin dried extract

1. Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Callus extract

1. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
2. ACS applied materials & interfaces

Hypericum extract

1. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology
2. Pharmacopsychiatry