What’s in a name Earl Plato

I pulled over to the side of #3 Highway just east of Cherry Hill Golf Course. I just wanted a sample of a roadside weed and I did. I now had in my possession the bright yellow petalled common Saint-John’s-wort plant.
Naturalized from Europe this perennial wild flower has extended its range as far north as Newfoundland and British Columbia and as far south as the limits of United States.
No “Purple plague” this plant. No “Yellow plague” even for this plant with its bright golden petals. Historically in those English wastelands where it thrived among the early Saxons it was an ancient and important herb. It was employed for centuries for curing wounds. One of its common English names is “touch-and-heal.” We read that during mediaeval times it was gathered and hung on doors and windows to ward off evil spirits. Elaine didn’t appreciate me for bringing another weed home even with a name Saint John. Into the garbage can it went after my examination. Its name comes from an old belief in England that it begins to bloom on June 24, the day of St. John Divine. To this day herbalists promote the capabilities of this plant although there is not scientific evidence to support all its claims.