Cultivated St. John’s Wort Flower Heads Accumulate Tocotrienols over Tocopherols, Regardless of the Year of the Plant

St. John's wort (<i>Hypericum perforatum</i> L.) has been extensively utilized across various traditional medicinal systems, including ancient Greek medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and Islamic medicine. <i>H. perforatum</i> is a well-known medicinal plant due to the presence of hypericin and hyperforin, which are natural antidepressants. Recent studies indicate that the inflorescences of wild <i>H. perforatum</i> are a source of rare tocotrienols, primarily δ-T3. Similar studies are lacking for cultivated species. <i>H. perforatum</i> was grown for three years. At full bloom each year, the plant was cut and separated into its parts: stems, leaves, flower buds, and flowers. Tocotrienols (T3s) were present in each part of the <i>H. perforatum</i>. The lowest concentration of tocotrienols was recorded in stems and the highest in flower buds (1.7-4.2 and 88.2-104.7 mg/100 g dry weight, respectively). Flower buds and flowers were the main source of α-T3 and δ-T3 tocotrienols. The plant part has a significant impact on the tocochromanol profile and concentration, while the year of harvest/plant aging does not. The present study demonstrates that cultivated <i>H. perforatum</i> flower heads are the first known flowers with relatively high concentrations of tocotrienols. St. John's wort flower buds accumulate tocotrienols over tocopherols, regardless of the year of the plant.