Hypericum Perforatum

St John's wort, a yellow-flowered meadow herb long used in homoeopathy for injuries to nerve-rich parts and the sharp, shooting pain that follows.

St John's wort is a perennial of sunny meadows and roadsides in Europe and Asia, with bright yellow five-petalled flowers that open around midsummer, near St John's Day. Held up to the light, its leaves show tiny see-through dots, which give it the name perforatum. Crushed flowers stain the fingers red.

Homoeopaths traditionally turn to it for injuries to parts rich in nerves: crushed fingers and toes, puncture wounds, and blows to the tailbone and spine. It is associated with sharp, shooting pains along the nerves, tingling, burning and numbness, and with pain that lingers after an injury or operation.

• Nerve pain
• Crushed fingers and toes
• Tailbone and spine injury
• Tingling and numbness
• Puncture wounds