St. John’s wort is a solar herb, traditionally harvested in midsummer and added to the first loaves of bread. It’s associated with solar dieties that die and rise again, and you can crush a bud and the yellow and green will smear your finger red as if with blood. You can see the tincture on the right is already starting to turn red. This is the blood of the sun god, and brings solar energy into the darkest nights. Also, if you hold a leaf up to the light, you can see the sun shining through the pores in the leaf. This reminds the herbalist that St. John’s wort is good for healing skin that has been damaged, scraped, or burned. It’s good for anything that requires nerve repair, such as traumatic brain damage or certain types of depression. Dried and added to tea (or bread), tinctured, or infused in oil, St. John’s wort brings the light.