Hypericum is a plant that grows wild in Italian fields and is typical of the summer season. Its scientific name is Hypericum and there are as many as 400 different species all belonging to the Guttiferae family.

When we talk about hypericum we usually refer to the Hypericum perforatum known and used as a healthy remedy for traditional herbalist folk wisdom .

Its perforatum name refers to the perforations on the leaves that contain the beneficial active ingredients that distinguish it as a medicinal plant. Its lands of origin are Europe and Asia, so in Italy it is possible to cultivate it very easily.

The hypericum is known in Italy also with the name of St. John's wort precisely because it blooms on June 24th, the day dedicated to this saint. Furthermore, in the tradition, this plant is also called "scacciadiavoli", due to its virtues of removing evil and evil spirits.

The curative use of Hypericum perforatum dates back to ancient Greece where it was used for the preparation of healing waxes, as a painkiller and for mood and depression problems.

Furthermore, according to a study conducted by the University of Madrid and reported in ScienceDaily, this remedy would seem to benefit the treatment of neuronal degeneration caused by Parkinson's disease .

The hypericum plant

The hypericum is a herbaceous plant with a semi-evergreen shrub that grows up to 70 centimeters in height and has the upper part of the herbaceous branches while at the base it is more woody .

Very easy to recognize for its bright yellow flowers that open in June and throughout the summer. The flowers resemble a star with 5 petals and many striking stamens. The leaves are opposite, numerous and elliptical in shape. Also on the leaves along the margin there are small sachets called glands that contain the bright red essential oil .

Even on the petals of yellow flowers, if we look in the light against the light, we can see small dark dots rich in essential oil. The leaves and flowers are in fact the part that is collected for the preparation of healthy remedies based on hypericum .

Growing needs of the hypericum

Hypericum is a plant that loves exposure to the sun and therefore prefers very sunny areas . If by chance should hypericum be grown in semi-shade, it would not have any major problems, perhaps only flowering would be less abundant and growth could also be more moderate.

In terms of soil, hypericum does not have great needs, it is sufficient that it is well drained to avoid water stagnation and therefore that it is rich in sand. The uncultivated soils, poor in organic matter, are the traditional environments where St. John's Wort grows spontaneously in Italy . The rusticity of the hypericum allows its cultivation even in the mountains above 1000 meters.

The cold of winter is not a problem for hypericum even though it can lose its leaves if the degrees of temperature fall too quickly and below zero.

This usually does not lead to the death of the plant but only to a winter stop that then with the spring is reborn with a greater production of leaflets. On the contrary, if we think of summer, hypericum has no problem with the sun and tolerates drought very well . The water that comes with the rains will be enough to water this plant.

In case further watering is required, remember that the soil must be completely dry between one spraying and another of water.

Hypericum cultivation

Hypericum seedlings can usually be bought in a specialized agrarian or nursery or it is possible to start seeding directly in the field but this is unusual. Also the multiplication by cutting or the division of the clumps and even the removal of the suckers is a great way to propagate the hypericum plant.

These branches obtained precisely from a hypericum mother plant will then be planted to obtain rooting and from this we will thus have new hypericum seedlings.

Whether you buy the seedlings or we have independently produced the cuttings we can carry out the transplantation of these young hypericum seedlings in the fall or spring . For the plant it will be sufficient to prepare the soil and space the seedlings at least 40 centimeters between them and 1 meter between the rows.

The hypericum does not require special cultivation care since it is a very rustic plant only in areas where rain is scarce it is advisable to water the hypericum remembering to irrigate only when the soil is dry even in depth .

Obviously in the areas of Southern Italy it will be more necessary to water it as it is a drier climate than the lands of Northern Italy.

In the North instead a good practice is the mulching of the soil that is performed near the base of the plant just to help in the cold season to better withstand the low temperatures.

For the harvest of the St. John's wort good scissors are necessary to cut the apical part of the ramifications removing those that have the yellow flowers completely bloomed .

Finally, at the end of the flowering period, it is usually advised to prune the hypericum thus shortening its ramifications . In this way the following year the plant will be pushed to produce new young branches for a more abundant flowering.