St. John's Wort Tincture not red

Hi friends! I made a St. Johns Wort tincture about 6 weeks ago (soaking the fresh yellow leaves in alcohol).  The liquid hasn't turned red (it's orange/yellow). Does anyone know if it would be effective? I wanted to take if for anxiety. I picked the flowers a little late in the season (July), but I picked new blooms and not flowers that were full or fading.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mary Sue wrote:Hi friends! I made a St. Johns Wort tincture about 6 weeks ago (soaking the fresh yellow leaves in alcohol).  The liquid hasn't turned red (it's orange/yellow). Does anyone know if it would be effective? I wanted to take if for anxiety. I picked the flowers a little late in the season (July), but I picked new blooms and not flowers that were full or fading.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Permies!

I believe the red color comes from the FRESH flowers of the plants because they have compounds that turn the liquid red. You will have similar issues with not having red color if you utilized dried flowers. This is why you are experiencing the variation. I'm not sure how effective a leaf-based tincture would be as I'm not very well versed yet in effectiveness of tinctures via their parts. I only know 'proven' recipes so far.

Oh thanks so much! Hmm.... yes i did use fresh flowers, so hopefully it will have the same effect (even though it's more orange then red).

Where I live, we have two varieties of St John's Wort.  The tiny delicate flowered version and the massive four-inch wide flowers and big siny leaves.  They have the same name, but I understand they are from different families.  

I've seen both used for healing tinctures but they produce different coloured results.  

Which one did you use?

r ranson wrote:Where I live, we have two varieties of St John's Wort.  The tiny delicate flowered version and the massive four-inch wide flowers and big siny leaves.  They have the same name, but I understand they are from different families.  

I've seen both used for healing tinctures but they produce different coloured results.  

Which one did you use?

This is my thought, as well. Hypericum Perforatum, the medicinal form, it's a shrubby-growing Plant, and will have tiny perforations in the leaves (hence the 'perforatum' portion of its Latin name), and the fresh blossoms will 'bleed' red, if crushed or cut.

I had the same thing happen. I am doing an oil preparation and with just 2 weeks between harvests from the same patch of plants, one batch turned deep red and the next is barely orange tinted.

Sarah Soleil wrote:I had the same thing happen. I am doing an oil preparation and with just 2 weeks between harvests from the same patch of plants, one batch turned deep red and the next is barely orange tinted.

Yup - that sounds like it really is more of a timing issue. The older it is, the less potent the oil will be - and it doesn't take long, at all. An oil made from the dried herb, in this case, is essentially just flavored oil, with no significant medicinal contribution from the herb.

How about tea from the dried herb? Is there any medicine in that?

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:How about tea from the dried herb? Is there any medicine in that?

Yup! I make/use teas &/or tinctures with the dried herb, daily. This way, it's most famous for its positive effects on mental health, but it's even better in assisting with both acute and chronic pain.

I used the more common variety with the larger flowers. thanks for your response!

r ranson wrote:Where I live, we have two varieties of St John's Wort.  The tiny delicate flowered version and the massive four-inch wide flowers and big siny leaves.  They have the same name, but I understand they are from different families.  

I've seen both used for healing tinctures but they produce different coloured results.  

Which one did you use?

I have often read and heard that the fresh flowers of the one that Carla Burke showed are what you make the medicine out of. The other variety of St. John's wort is a landscaping plant without medicinal value.

John S
PDX OR

I made two small bottles of St.Johns Oil, not tincture, soaking the fresh flowers (of the real Hypericum perforatum, as shown here in photos). One in almond oil and one in olive oil. The colours are not exactly the same, but both are orangy red.

Because I wanted to have it fast, I bought one tiny bottle of it too (there's an organic herb nursery close by, they sell products too, very best quality!) Their oil has a somewhat deeper red colour.

Maybe in a tincture with alcohol the colour is different too?  

I'm interested to know if your tincture works. My herb book said not to try to make your own St.Johns worth medication against mental problems. It seems it's too difficult to make the right dillution needed then. The oil for external use does not have that problem.

This was what I made it for: against cramps in my legs/feet at night. And it works well. When I wake up having that painful cramp, I massage my under-legs with a little of the oil ... and the cramp goes away (and I can sleep again).

John Suavecito wrote:I have often read and heard that the fresh flowers of the one that Carla Burke showed are what you make the medicine out of. The other variety of St. John's wort is a landscaping plant without medicinal value.

John S
PDX OR

I think I know the other plant too. Here that one is not called St. John's worth, but only the Latin name Hypericum (or the Dutch name 'Hertshooi').  There are some cultivars of this Hypericum, but they are NOT Hypericum perforatum.

You need to use the fresh flowers that are in bloom. They contain the most hypericin which causes the red color.