A Guide to taking St John's Wort with other Extracts
St John's Wort is my most tricky herb, it sometimes doesnt play well with others 🤔
In the world of herbalism, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is known as a powerful mover. It is a plant of high Solar intensity, bringing light, heat, and rapid movement to the body.
Because of this, we are often asked: Will the intensity of St. John's Wort move my other restorative tonics through my system too quickly?
The answer lies in understanding the Alchemy of Absorption and how we can take our extracts to create balance.
The Science: The Cellular Doorman
To understand this dynamic, we look to a cellular transporter known as P-glycoprotein.
Think of your gut lining like a busy event space. P-glycoprotein is the doorman. Its job is to keep things moving and clear out "guests" that the body has finished with.
Most herbs are heavy and grounding, they slow the doorman down, allowing nutrients to linger and be absorbed deeply.
St. John’s Wort is different. It is an Activator.
When its solar signature enters the system, it signals the body to "wake up" and increase metabolic flow. It encourages the body to clear out stagnation and cycle nutrients faster. This is excellent for lifting the spirit and clearing heaviness, but it means the "flow" of your system speeds up significantly.
The Alchemy: Buffering the Fire
If St. John’s Wort is the Accelerator, we need other plants to act as the Anchor.
In Alchemy, we never let the "Volatile" (Spirit) escape without the "Fixed" (Salt/Body) to hold it down. If you have too much acceleration, you risk processing your nutrients too fast to fully absorb their benefits.
This is why our Quintessence range is designed with Synergistic Buffering. We pair the high-speed Solar plants with resinous, grounding allies that naturally slow the absorption process, ensuring the medicine stays with you.
The Self-Balancing Formulations
You do not need to worry about the "Solar Purge" affecting your Elixirs, because we have built the "Anchor" right into the bottle:
Frankincense & Eastern White Pine, these resins are the ultimate "fixatives." They act like a heavy, grounding weight that holds the lighter, faster energies in place, allowing for deep, sustained absorption.
Lady’s Thumb: This plant naturally modulates the speed of absorption, protecting its own compounds from passing through too quickly.
Eastern White Pine: The rich, resinous nature of the Pine acts as a shield, ensuring its delicate compounds are not swept away by the increased flow.
The Vital Exception: Pine Pollen
There is one important exception where you should be mindful of this speed: Pine Pollen.
Pine Pollen is prized for its Jing (Vital Essence) and its ability to support restoration. However, this "Essence" is delicate. If you introduce it into a system that is moving at high speed (due to St. John’s Wort), the body may cycle it out before it has time to settle and nourish the deep reserves.
The Protocol for Pine Pollen
If you are using St. John’s Wort to lift the Spirit and Pine Pollen to build the Jing, we recommend bridging them.
Don't take them in isolation. Ensure you are taking a "Grounding" extract alongside them to slow the flow and capture the Essence.
Summary: Living Balance
Working with Spagyrics is about recognizing that plants are living forces. St. John’s Wort brings the Light and the Speed; Frankincense and Pine bring the Earth and the Time.
By pairing them correctly, you get the lift without the loss.