St. John's wort

American  

[seynt-jonz wurt, wawrt] / ˌseɪntˈdʒɒnz ˌwɜrt, ˌwɔrt /

St. John's Wort,

noun

1. any of various plants or shrubs of the genus Hypericum, having yellow flowers and transparently dotted leaves.

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Etymology

Origin of St. John's wort

First recorded in 1745–55; so named because it was traditionally gathered on St. John's Eve to ward off evil

Example Sentences

A solitary figure who preferred working alone and needed large doses of St. John’s wort to get through days when his studio buzzed with people.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

Q: I used St. John’s wort tincture daily for moderate depression for several years when I lived in Minnesota.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2021

Chicory, St. John’s wort, thimbleberries and other plants and herbs grow wild on the property.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2021

“My Last Good Nerve,” for instance, has ingredients to help soothe a frazzled mind: organic lavender, chamomile, St. John’s wort.

From Washington Post • Feb. 26, 2020

The fallow fields were entirely covered with the yellow blossoms of the golden rod, or St. John's wort, and beautiful asters, mostly with small white or purple flowers.

From Travels in the Interior of North America, Part I, (Being Chapters I-XV of the London Edition, 1843) Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, Volume XXII by Maximilian, Alexander Philipp