Lessons from nature

It is from St. John's Wort we can learn versatility. Officially know as Hypericum perforatum, it is a herb that has been used for some 2400 years as a nerve tonic, a painkiller for arthritis and menstrual pain, and a relief for gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, nausea, and more serious problems like ulcers. It is known as an aid for heart palpitations, moodiness and symptoms of menopause, attention deficit, obsessive-compulsive and seasonal effective disorder. It has been used for exhaustion, stop-smoking help, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer and hepatitis C. Some people apply St. John's Wort oil to their skin to treat bruises and scrapes, first degree burns, wounds, bug bites, hemorrhoids and nerve pain. It has evolved into a remedy for depression and anxiety and is being tested on AIDS patients because it appears to help the immune system combat viruses.