St John’s wort (hypericum) is a short, yellow-flowering, wild-growing plant native to all parts of Britain and the majority of mainland Europe, western Asia and North Africa, growing prolifically in these areas. The name St. John probably refers to John the Baptist, whom tradition said was born on the summer solstice. It was claimed that the red spots visible on the underside of some of the herb’s leaves symbolised the blood of St. John, who was beheaded by Herod.

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Q: I always get migraine and want to know if there are any natural therapies that can help ease the frequency and severity of attacks?

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Give your teenagers the edge in summer exams with a herb called Rhodiola which can help with memory and concentration. It has also been shown to help boost energy, and may also act like an herbal antidepressant.

In one study, Rhodiola was tested against a placebo in students during stressful exams. Their physical and mental performance was assessed before and after the exams. The students taking the Rhodiola coped better generally with the stress of the exams and experienced less mental fatigue.

Rhodiola has also been given to hospital doctors working night shifts to see what effect it had on their ability to perform certain tasks and their level of fatigue. The doctors took the herb for two weeks and it was found that their mental performance improved on tasks such as short term memory, calculations, ability to concentrate even when under stress from sleep deprivation and their energy levels were better than without the herb.

There are different species of Rhodiola herb and it is important to use Rhodiola rosea as it this kind that has the stress buster effects.