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Based on a conversation with RavenCroft Garden's Director, Sally King, CCH.

Northwest winters can be long, wet and gray. A little burst of summer could be just what I need... Bright yellow petals open in a small, five-pointed star and fuzzy stamens wave; St. John's wort blooms at the height of the summer. An herb of the sun, it can be harvested and stored in a tincture or topical oil to bring its healing light to the darkest of winter days. (The common groundcover with much larger yellow flowers, also called St. John's wort, is not the medicinal plant.)

St. John's wort, Hypericum perforatum, can also be identified by its leaves. If you hold one up to the light, you will find it covered in tiny dots (oil glands) that look like perforations. My girls think the dots look like stars. They are thrilled to find that crushing an unopened bud stains their fingers dark red. The hypericin in St. John's wort's famed red oil is a longtime staple in the healing arts. Hypericin is a powerful antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-in? ammatory and antidepressant substance.

Many say that for every type of trauma there is an antidote growing nearby. Because it is a plant that tones, restores and rejuvenates the nervous system, there is a lovely juxtaposition in finding St. John's wort growing wild along the highways and byways — the very places where we rush most often. For Sally, seeing these yellow flowers on the roadside is enough to shift the stress of a fast-paced day.

St. John's wort oil is an excellent topical remedy for extreme nerve pain, like the blinding pain of a stubbed toe or smashed finger. It strengthens and nourishes nerves, penetrating swiftly to bring nearly instant relief. St. John's wort is also a great treatment for long-carried nerve damage from old wounds and surgeries. My husband, Kurt, tried rubbing it on when he banged his elbow, where a repositioned ulna nerve would usually have ached for days. The pain subsided quickly, and our bottle of St. John's wort oil now rests within easy reach.Use the herb to prevent and relieve sunburn and to heal other burns or scalds.

I bought the oil for myself when Sally suggested that a back rub with St. John's wort would be perfect to relieve stress.I barely restrained myself from buying the whole gallon jug. St. John's wort eases muscle aches and swollen and painful joints. In tincture form, it helps prevent the lactic acid buildup that makes your muscles sore. Sally recommends adding it to a water bottle before a long hike, or whenever you're about to push your body past its usual physical limit.

The bright red tincture is "a dependable reliever of the blues. I call it bottled sunshine," writes herbalist Susun S. Weed. St. John's wort is known for its ability to ease depression.* Susun writes that she takes it "when I'm on the edge and feel like anything will push me over." (If I admit how many days I feel like that, I may lose all credibility here.) Sally finds St. John's wort a gentle herb: "She doesn't take me high or low, she just moves me through to the next space so I can get grounded and keep on walking."

Before you jump to dispel the dark, consider embracing it. Depression often develops with the shift in seasons. As the RavenCroft apprentices leave for their winter break, Sally encourages them to celebrate the waning of the light by sitting in the darkness. Consider burning candles instead of turning on lights. This helps bring awareness to how the days shorten and then lengthen again. She recommends allowing more time for sleep during the natural dreamtime of winter. We can all take stock and plan for the coming year; appreciate what is, instead of wanting something to be different so that we have to take an antidepressant for it. EagleSong considers the actual act of planting bulbs in the fall a natural antidepressant. The process of selecting them, planting them in the ground, knowing they are growing and watching them come up in the spring is, in itself, therapeutic.

Find St. John's wort prepared in tincture and oil form at your local herbalist or order online through RavenCroft. "We're stretching our boundaries about what is health, what is healing and what is medicine," Sally says. It can be as simple as noticing a bright yellow flower at the side of the road, or picking a jarful to make your own herbal medicine.

* If you are taking synthetic medications for depression, mixing herbal remedies with your other medications is not recommended. Find a health practitioner who can help you make the shift safely.

Located near Monroe, WA, RavenCroft Garden is an educational center connecting people, plants and the earth. It is home to founder EagleSong, Community Centered Herbalist (CCH) and Director Sally King, CCH, who work with herbs as a foundation for creating health: 360-794-2938 or www.ravencroftgarden.com.