Effects:
antibacterial, diuretic, antidepressant, analgesic
Areas of use:
Ear and hand edema, is effective against drug-resistant bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis), depression, pain, cervical cancer
Parts of the plant used:
essential oil extracts
Collection time:
not known
Where to find:
Native to the Canary Islands and Madeira, evergreen forests, rocky slopes, rocks and cliffs.
Ingredients:
Hyperoside, quercitrin, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin, quercetin, essential oil, alkanes, terpenes, flavonoids, benzophenones
Other:
Big-leaved St. John's Wort is a bushy shrub that grows 50 to 180 centimeters tall. Its branches generally grow upright or nearly upright. Throughout its range, different populations look almost identical and the species has minimal geographic variation in appearance. When the plant is young, the stems are somewhat flattened and have four lines running lengthwise. When mature, they become more cylindrical and have only two lines. Nodes with leaves are found every 0.2 to 0.4 cm along the stem. The bark on the outside of the stem is scaly. The leaf blades are directly attached to the stem and sometimes partially wrap around it. The leaf blade is about 4 to 9 cm long and 2.5 to 4.5 cm wide and has a triangular-oval or oblong-oval shape. The end is blunt or rounded and the base is flat or rounded. It is the same color above and below and has a papery texture. There are four or five pairs of large lateral veins, and the network of tiny tertiary veins of the leaf is visible on the upper side. The leaf's glands are small, but they are densely located along its edges. Each inflorescence has between 1 and 13 individual flowers. They grow at two nodes on the stem, which are the same distance apart as the leaves are from each other. The inflorescence is in the shape of a broad pyramid, or rather a corymb, with the stems spreading widely. Sometimes there are secondary flowers further down on the branches that support the main inflorescences. Each flower is borne on a 0.5 to 1.1 cm (0.20 to 0.43 in) long flower stalk. The leaf-like bracts may be the same size as other leaves or smaller. They are oblong and may taper to a point. Each flower is 3 to 4.5 cm (1.2 to 1.8 in) wide. Before flowering, the buds have an imperfect spherical shape with a blunt or rounded end. The sepals overlap and vary in size. They become larger during flowering and persist while the plant bears fruit. Glands are found on the sepals in linear patterns and single dots; the glands are denser at the edges. The petals are golden yellow, 1.8 to 2.2 cm long and 0.6 to 0.8 cm wide. The stamens are gathered in bundles of about 30 to 40, the longest in the bundle being about 1.5 to 2.0 cm long. The styles grow erect and are slender, with a narrow stigma ending in a distinct head. The seed capsule is 0.8 to 1.3 cm long, has a leathery texture and a pointed end. After the plant bears fruit, the seed capsule splits completely. The seeds inside are yellow-brown and about 0.12 cm long. They have a wing-like outgrowth on one side but none on the ends. The plant reproduces by rhizomes. (English Wikipedia)
St. John's Wort, Big-leaved is an invasive plant that displaces other native plants.