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BASANT

Botanical name: Hypericum perforatum L.

Family name: Hypericaceae

Identification No.– SDACH/HG/202

Vernacular names:

  • Hindi: Basant, Pitphool
  • English: St. John’s Wort
  • Sanskrit (regional adaptation): Naagratha, Pitapushpa
  • Marathi: Topliwel
  • Tamil: Nilaveerai

Habitat & Distribution: Native to Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. Widely naturalized in temperate parts of India (Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand). Found in dry, sunny meadows, forest edges, and hilly slopes at altitudes between 1,500–3,000 meters.

Morphology– Erect, perennial herb growing 30–100 cm high. Stem is woody at the base with opposite branches. Leaves are oblong with numerous translucent oil glands appearing as “perforations” when held against light. Flowers are bright yellow, five-petaled with black dots on margins, arranged in cymes. Fruit is a capsule with many seeds.

Phytochemicals: Rich in naphthodianthrones (hypericin, pseudohypericin), phloroglucinols (hyperforin), flavonoids (quercetin, rutin), xanthones, tannins, essential oils, and phenolic acids.

Amayika Prayoga/Therapeutic Uses

External: Used as oil for burns, wounds, neuralgia, skin inflammations

Internal: Used in mild to moderate depression, anxiety, insomnia, menopausal mood disturbances, neuralgic pain

Part used: Aerial parts including flowering tops

Yoga/Formulations: Used in contemporary Ayurveda as single drug extract in capsule/oil form; not part of classical formulations

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Research updates:

  1. Butterweck V, Schmidt M. St. John’s Wort: role of active compounds for its mechanism of action in depression. Wien Med Wochenschr. doi:10.1007/s10354-007-0406-5.
  2. Wurglics M, Schubert-Zsilavecz M. Hypericum perforatum: a “modern” herbal antidepressant: pharmacokinetics of active ingredients. Clin Pharmacokinet. doi:10.2165/00003088-200443090-00001.
  3. Sarris J, Panossian A, Schweitzer I, Stough C, Scholey A. Herbal medicine for depression, anxiety and insomnia: a review of psychopharmacology and clinical evidence. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2011.08.008.
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