The seedpods of hypericum are appearing with increasing frequency in Martha Stewart like magazine layouts. They are red/orange, somewhat shaped like an egg with a sharper taper at one end and downward deflecting old petals.
I just saw a cute picture in a magazine of a string of seeds draped around the top of a vase. I've seen pictures of them in flower arrangements and just today I saw a bunch for sale in the Giant for $3.50. They must be moving from "chic" to "common"
The plant is also a lovely bushy thing; it is more like a woody shrub than a soft-stemmed perennial. The flowers are beautiful and the bloom time is long. It flowers on old wood so cutting long stems to obtain the seedpods would prevent flowering the following year but doesn't kill the plant.
St. John's Wort is also beginning to appear in so many products that it might lead to accidental overdosing. At least 2 Celestial Seasonings teas now have it in them, as do some "health food" store nutritional bars. This seems to me to be a BAD IDEA. Medication should be taken only knowingly and intentionally. I worry that everyone using these teas or nutritional bars may not be aware there is medication in them. Herbs are medications.
Cautions about using it while breastfeeding are true. Zoloft is the SSRI antidepressant of choice while breastfeeding, as it is not secreted in the milk in any significant quantity. St. John's Wort is.
Also, cautions about using it in combination with SSRIs are true. Seratonin Syndrome can result from overuse of two or more similar products.