Have you ever tried St. John's Wort, Reader?

I lived with my mom when I was a teenager, but my dad would wake up early every day to pick me up and drive me to school.

Self-centered youth that I was, I would force the poor man to listen to the raucous, ad-heavy indoctrination of the Morning Zoo on the local pop radio station.

I know he would've preferred to chat, listen to jazz or Rage Against the Machine, sit quietly in each other's company, —or pretty much anything other than the constant product-placement and stupid jokes you hear on early-morning radio!— but I wouldn't have it any other way. (Sorry Papa, I get it now.)

It was in one of these not-so-subtle product-placement bits that I was first introduced to St. John's Wort, but as the host was talking about how he started taking St. John's Wort to help lift his mood and relieve depression, all I could think about was skin warts. (Ew. You too?)

Little did I know that this dainty herb with a funny name would later become a good friend of mine.

Fast forward about 10 years, and I found myself doing an internship at the Herb Pharm in Williams, Oregon, face-to-face with her beautiful yellow blossoms.

There's a lot to love about St. John's Wort, and while it is not generally used to treat warts, it does have a lot to do with summer solstice.

I'm writing about it today because summer solstice is in a couple of weeks, and this time of year is quite literally St. J's moment in the sun.

St. John's Wort always blooms toward the end of June, and her happy yellow blossoms look like sunshine in a flower.

You'll find St. John's Wort growing in the cracks and crevices of concrete on the side of the road, or in arid fields, surrounded by other hearty survivors like yarrow, queen Anne's lace, plantain, and the grasses. I love this about her, because it reflects both her ability to help you thrive in challenging situations, as well as connect with others socially.

Another fascinating feature of this lovely little herb: If you take one of her leaves and hold it up to the sun, you'll see small holes that let the light shine through.

And this is exactly what St. John's Wort does, Reader.

This astringent, sweet, and bitter herb is gently warming and helps to bring lightness to your heart while soothing the nervous system.

In her book Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth, Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner talks about using St. John's Wort for sharp pain and inflammatory conditions, in addition to the most famous effect: treating mental health conditions like depression, fear, insomnia, anorexia, anxiety, and feelings of worthlessness.

If you'd like to try St. John's Wort for yourself, I recommend starting with 10 drops of fresh leaf and flower tincture, 2-3x/day*. You should feel the effects in about 2-6 weeks, and then you may want to reevaluate.

(My favorite tinctures are made by one of my teachers, Scott Kloos, at Cascadia Folk Medicine, but if you can't find it there, Herb Pharm is a great alternative. BTW, I have no affiliation with either of these, they are just the brands I most trust and have personal experience with.)

That said, it's always a good idea to work with a trained herbalist if you want to find the herbs and formulas that are best suited to you right now. Herbal medicine might be gentle, but it can have side effects just like anything else you put in your body. Plus, if you're going to spend the money on it, you want to up the odds that it'll work!

Also, be aware that St. J's really does let the sun shine into all aspects of your being, so you may become more photosensitive and more likely to get a sunburn when using it! Make sure you wear sunscreen and stay in the shade even more than you would otherwise if you're taking this herb.

*Who shouldn't use St. John's Wort?

You shouldn't use St. J's if you're pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs, especially SSRIs or MAO inhibitors.

Please check with your doctor before starting this or any other herbal protocol.

The second thing I want to share with you is that I'm hosting a special Instagram Live on Solstice!

Join me on June 21 at 10 a.m. PST to talk about mental health and wellness strategies that are specific for summer.

Have questions? Please send them my way by replying to this email and I'll be sure to answer them.

I'll also post it on my Instagram feed afterwards, so you can still watch the replay if you can't make it.

Mark your calendar, and I hope to see you there!

And finally, an important reminder:

There are just a couple weeks left to take advantage of the Spring Special on 1-on-1 virtual sessions!

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It's been really fun to work with so many new people these past few weeks.

Last week alone I spoke with clients who were struggling with a wide variety issues, including relationship and commitment anxiety, impatience and agitation, negative judgement of others, ADHD, and one who wanted to focus on personalized dietary advice.

Here's what one client had to say after a recent session:

Since I work with all mind-body issues related to stress and anxiety, every session looks a little different.

Guidance is always tailored to your specific needs, and may include (but isn’t limited to):

• Mindset and meditation practices

• Yoga, qigong, movement, and breathing exercises

• Nutritional modifications

• Medicinal herb prescriptions

• Acupressure, moxibustion, and massage protocols

• Sleep hygiene and optimization

• Ritual, habit formation, emotional regulation, and neurological rewiring techniques

• Suggested reading, listening, and other resources

Want to take advantage of the spring discount?

It's only available until June 21st and my schedule is filling up fast, so if you're curious, click "reply" to this email now and tell me a little about what you're struggling with. I'd also be happy to set up a free 10-minute phone consultation with you to answer any questions.

This is your last chance to get in on the Spring Special and get the discounted rate for 1-on-1 sessions, so if you'd like to identify and start healing the root causes of your own stress, anxiety, and other health issues, now's the time to sign up!

I can't wait to hear from you.

Warmly,

Katerina

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