Ironically, however, at the time of release of the Chrysolina beetles in California, it was not known that herbalists would one day keep Hypericum populations well under control.

Etymology of Nomenclature
The name Hypericum is ancient and may have several derivations. Yperikon was first mentioned by Euryphon, a Greek doctor from 288 BC (7). Pliny called the ground pine Hyperikon, though also chamaepitys and corion (8). One common explanation for the name Hypericum is that it may derive from ereike (heather) and hyper (above) (9). However, although one Greek species of Hypericum looked similar to heather (though it grew taller), it seems more likely that the name derives from eikon (a figure, possibly an unwanted apparition) and hyper (above), which relates to the ancient use of St. John's wort to exorcise evil spirits or influences (10), since the plant may have been placed over religious icons as a symbol of protection. Linnaeus, who described the genus, thought that Hypericum came from yper (upper) and eikon (an image) (vv11).

The common name, St. John's wort, is obviously a reference to St. John. Its earliest use may date back to the 6th century AD when, according to Gaelic tradition, the missionary St. Columba always carried a piece of St. John's wort because of his great regard for St. John (12). Some early Christian authors claimed that red spots, symbolic of the blood of St. John, appeared on leaves of Hypericum spp. on August 29, the anniversary of the saint's beheading, while others considered that the best day to pick the plant was on June 24, the day of St. John's feast (10). In the Christian tradition, St. John represents light, hence the flowers were taken as a reminder of the sun's bounty (13).

History of Use
Dioscorides, the foremost herbalist of the ancient Greeks, mentions four species of Hypericum- -Uperikon, Askuron and Androsaimon, and Koris--which he recommends for sciatica, "when drunk with 2 heim of hydromel (honey-water)." He also claims that it "expels many cholerick excrement, but it must be given continuously, until they be cured, and being smeared on it is good for ambusta (burns)." H. crispum and H. barbatum, he writes, have "a diuretical facility....and of moving ye menstrua. The seed being drunk for 40 days drives away tertians and quartans (fevers occurring every 3 or 4 days, possibly malaria)" (14).

Theophrastus recommends H. lanuginosum, a Greek species, for external application, while Pliny says it should be taken in wine against poisonous reptiles. H. coris, another Greek species, was mentioned by Hippocrates and Pliny (15). Although many older authors attest that the ancients knew of Hypericum as Fuga daemonum and used it to drive away demons, none make reference to any specific writers (16). Dioscorides, Pliny, and Theophrastus do not mention either this name or this use of the plant, but herbalists from the 16th and 17th centuries commonly mention the name.

In the early humoral system of medicine, Galen considered Hypericum to be hot and dry, while Paracelsus wrote of the plant in the early 1500's that it could be used as an amulet against enchantments and apparitions (17). St. John's wort was used in early pre-Christian religious practices in England, and it has many legends written about it (18). For instance, one belief was that bringing the flowers of St. John's wort into the house on a midsummer eve would protect one from the evil eye, banish witches, etc. Another belief was that that if one slept with a piece of the plant under one's pillow on St. John's Eve, "the Saint would appear in a dream, give his blessing, and prevent one from dying during the following year" (17). The favor St. John's wort enjoyed is well expressed in the following poem (19):