Recipe
St John's wort flower honey
- Herb:
- St John's wort Hypericum perforatum
- Method:
- Honey macerate
- Plant part:
- Flower
About 30 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Fill a jar about one third with dried flowers and cover with honey.
- Macerate 2–3 weeks away from direct sunlight, then strain.
- Mind drug interactions and photosensitivity — see the herb card.
Extraction
- Herb:
- dried flowers, about 1/3 of a jar according to the recipe
- Solvent:
- Honey; macerate for 2–3 weeks away from direct sunlight.
- Shelf life:
- Keep cool after straining; monitor stability if the colour changes.
- Target compounds:
- Mixture of polar and more lipophilic constituents in honey — a variable profile.
Notes
Maceration takes weeks; do not combine with medicines without checking interactions.
Why it works
Hyperforin and hypericin have a complex relationship with solvents; honey as a mixture of sugars and water may only release part of the lipophilic and polar fractions from flowers. Pharmacokinetic interactions known from St John's wort products may still matter for food-like preparations—check any prescription combinations.
Literature
- Clinical relevance of St. John's wort drug interactions revisited — Drug interactions — a parallel to the caution with flower-infused honey.
- St John's wort for major depression (Cochrane systematic review) — Context of efficacy in depression with clinical preparations; home-made infused honey is not equivalent.
Related
St John's wort — Herb card
Honey macerate — Processing method detail