St. John's Wort In Medieval Europe

367 Words2 Pages
On the contrary, people of eastern Europe do not consider St. John’s wort to be a weed, since they utilize the flower as a religious decoration and they were among the first to recognize its medicinal properties in medieval Europe. St. John’s wort is named so because it traditionally flowers around St. John’s Day (June 24), an Eastern Orthodox holiday. As a result, people of eastern Europe would hang these flowers around their homes to celebrate. Medical texts from the medieval period also show that people used St. John’s wort in homemade remedies. By the seventeenth century, medical records became more detailed, especially those written by herbalist Nicholas Culpeper. In his documents, he recorded that St. John’s wort was used as an ingredient