poor circulation, kidney and gastrointestinal problems, bacterial infections and sleep disorders. Ancient warriors used it topically to heal sword wounds. Throughout history, it has been used as a poultice for sunburn, sores, boils, abrasions and insect bites. Doll learned that in modern times, St. John’s Wort is extremely popular in Europe, particularly in Germanic countries. Even today, St. John’s Wort is the number one anti-depressant prescribed by physicians in Germany. As a result of his research, Doll decided he would make his own St. John’s Wort. For the past 35 years, he has devoted his life to gathering and processing the St. John’s Wort plant to supply health-conscious consumers around the world. Since 1990, Flora has been the exclusive distributor of Doll’s product in North America. “This isn’t just my product,” says Doll. “It’s my life’s work.”
The making of St. John’s Wort Oil Extract Each year, beginning the 1st or 2nd week of May, Stefan Doll travels to the Valley of Sparta where he gathers the St. John’s Wort from mountainsides 300 to 1,500 metres above sea level, harvesting the flowers of plants that grow wild throughout a 20,000 square kilometre area. “This is the hottest place in Europe where the temperature often climbs to over 100˚ F in the shade,” says Doll. “I begin at low elevations and then as the season gets hotter, I go higher.” Doll gathers a variety of different St. John’s Wort plants, doing the painstaking work manually, using only a knife to squeeze off the flowers and the top leaves of the plant. He harvests the St. John’s Wort in the early morning hours when the serum is at peak level. That same afternoon, he submerges the fresh flowers in jars of local, certified organic, extra virgin olive oil. Because the purity of the olive oil is important for preserving the active ingredients in the flowers, Doll uses only cold-pressed olive oil from the village of Mystras. The olives are carefully picked from trees rather than left to fall to the ground.
the flowers for several weeks in midsummer sunshine until it shines a brilliant, rich red. This slow, patient process maximizes the extraction of the plant’s full spectrum of ingredients into the oil. This process is the oldest documented method of successfully extracting the active ingredients from St. John’s Wort flowers. The St. John’s Wort oil is made with a 30% concentration of fresh flowers that are put in olive oil. The jars are placed in the sun for ten weeks so the flowers can steep in the olive oil while exposed to 1,000 hours of the hot Mediterranean sun. The golden yellow flowers contain red hypericin, which has the ability to absorb and store solar energy. “The power of the sun transfuses the properties of the flowers into the oil,” says Doll. “It’s scientifically proven that the longer the oil is exposed, the more active ingredients are synthesized in it.” By the end of August, the product is ready. Each batch is filtered through cheese cloth several times and then it is ready to be shipped to manufacturers who produce St. John’s Wort oil extract for world markets. Flora’s end product is bottled in environmentally friendly glass to ensure freshness and full potency. Year after year, Stefan Doll continues to return to Greece every spring when the St. John’s Wort flowers begin to bloom. “I am 70 years old now,” he says with pride. “But I feel great. Don’t be surprised if I make it to 120!”
A time-honoured tradition In a natural process that does not use any machinery or chemical solvents, Stefan Doll seals the mixture in glass jars, where the oil is then allowed to mingle with
Stefan Doll in Greece
Inspiring Health 17