St. John's Wort Oil
St. John's Wort Oil is one of many popular carrier oils used in massage, aromatherapy, and other body-work treatments.
St. John's Wort Oil (from Hypericum perforatum) is extracted by maceration. Details of the maceration process vary slightly (e.g. in temperature and length of time for which the flowers and buds are steeped in another oil, typically a good quality vegetable oil such as virgin olive oil.
St. John's Wort also known as hypericum and much has been written about
the therapeutical properties of this plant generally. It has also been
the subject of concerns over mis-use, perhaps at least partly as a consequence
of the wide publicity it has attracted in recent years. (As there are
160 species of hypericum, some confusion is not surprising.)
The therapeutic properties claimed for St. Johns Wort Oil as a massage
carrier oil include:
- It has been said to be helpful for wounds in which nerve tissue damage is involved.
- It is sometimes used in the cases of some nerve conditions such as fibrositis, neuralgia and sciatica.
- It is sometimes used to alleviate burns and inflammations - but only after appropriate First Aid procedures have been followed initially.
In terms of the cosmetic benefits of St. John's Wort Oil, it is said to be excellent for use on the skin and has been used as a cosmetic skin tightener.
As mentioned in the note below, this information is not medical advice - always consult an appropriately qualified professional before applying substances to the skin, and especially to any area of injury or irritation. Remember that professionals check for potential allergic reactions or other complications. It makes sense to do patch tests first.
See also the general page about carrier oils for massage and bodywork therapies and information about massage and aromatherapy.
Note: There are many different carrier oils used for massage and other bodywork therapies. This section includes many popular oils but it is not a complete list.
