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Hypericum perforatum
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=== Etymology and common names=== The [[genus]] name ''Hypericum'' is possibly derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words {{Lang|el|hyper}} (above) and {{Lang|el|eikon}} (picture), in reference to the tradition of hanging the plant over religious [[icon]]s in the home.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coombes |first1=Allen J. |title=The A to Z of plant names : a quick reference guide to 4000 garden plants |date=2012 |publisher=Timber Press, Inc. |isbn=978-1-60469-196-2 |location=Portland, Oregon |page=172}}</ref> The [[specific epithet]] ''perforatum'' is [[Latin]] and refers to the perforated appearance of the plant's leaves.<ref name="Manual" /> The common name ''St John's wort'' comes from the fact that its flowers and buds were commonly harvested at the time of the [[Midsummer|Midsummer festival]], which was later [[Christianization of saints and feasts|Christianized]] as [[Nativity of John the Baptist|St John's Feast Day]] on 24 June. It was believed that harvesting the flower at this time made its healing and magical powers more potent. The herb would be hung on house and stall doors on St John's Feast Day to ward off evil spirits and to safeguard against harm and sickness to people and livestock. In other traditions it was burned in bonfires for the protection of crops along with other herbs believed to be magical.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trickey-Bapty |first1=Carolyn |url=https://archive.org/details/martyrsmiracles0000tric/page/133 |title=Martyrs and miracles |date=2001 |publisher=Testament Books |isbn=9780517164037 |location=New York |page=132 |access-date=26 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="Englishmans" /> Because of its supposed potency in warding off spirits, the plant was also known as ''fuga daemonum'' (loosely "demon-flight").<ref name="Ernst">Ernst 2003, p. 2.</ref> Many other similarly fanciful names have been used for it including ''devil's scourge'', ''Lord God's wonder plant'', and ''witch's herb''.<ref>World Health Organization, p. 149.</ref> In medieval [[Kent]] it was called ''herbe Ion'' (Ion in this case referring to "John") as recorded in the poem ''The Feate of Gardening''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cecil |first1=Evelyn |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgardeni00cecil/page/71 |title=A history of Gardening in England |date=1896 |publisher=Bernard Quaritch |location=London |pages=71β72 |access-date=26 July 2023}}</ref> Other local names for ''Hypericum perforatum'' include ''balm of the warrior's wound'' in [[Somerset]], ''penny John'' in [[Norfolk]], ''rosin rose'' in [[Yorkshire]], and ''touch-and-heal'' in [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name="Englishmans">{{cite book |last1=Grigson |first1=Geoffrey |title=The Englishman's Flora |date=1960 |publisher=Phoenix House Ltd |location=London |pages=75β79 |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/details/englishmansflora0000geof/page/n75 |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref> Locally in the United States, it may also be referred to as ''Tipton-weed'', ''goatweed'', or ''Klamath weed''.<ref name="NorthWestCoast">{{cite book |author=Charles Vancouver Piper |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924001318322 |title=Flora of the Northwest Coast |author2=Rolla Kent Beattie |publisher=Press of the New era printing Company |year=1915 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924001318322/page/n259 240]}}</ref><ref name="MBGarden">{{cite web |title=Hypericum perforatum |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e198 |access-date=1 August 2023 |website=Plant Finder |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |location=St. Louis, Missouri}}</ref> In the 21st century, any species of the genus ''Hypericum'' can be referred to as St John's wort. Therefore, it is more accurate to call ''Hypericum perforatum'' the ''common St John's wort'' or ''perforate St John's wort''.<ref name="Ernst" /><ref name="WHO" />
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