Self Heal aka Prunella Vulagaris
*Self Heal: aka Prunella vulgaris, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter’s herb, brownwort or blue curls. Native to Europe and Asia, self-heal can be found in temperate regions worldwide. In my opinion once you realize the benefits of this lovely herb, you start to notice it growing more and more. It sorta resembles red clover in a way, but usually is missing most of the flower pedals. I have read that it will survive even in winter climates, though we haven’t directly experienced that in our part of TN.
I love this plant! Whenever I find it growing, it feels almost like a little gift from God. It peeks out when I am not looking for it lol. I started researching it because I was making lip balm & thought it would be a good one for cold sores. I am finding it has many applications and is great when dried and used as a tea for sore throats. I have made a tincture from it, and recently when we got sick, I would take the tincture often. It isn’t an automatic fix, or cover for symptoms imo. Many herbs aren’t exactly like store bought medications or prescription drugs. They are more subtle and found that I was actually healing at an advanced rate vs others around me. It doesn’t seem to mask symptoms immediately, but healed me a lot quicker. I took it along with many other tinctures, like rosemary, nasturtium, & goldenrod.
Self Heal is a powerful plant ally and I hope you discover some near you. Here is some more information on the plant & it’s healing benefits.
Description Creeping perennial, growing to 20 in (50 cm) tall, with pointed oval leaves and violet-blue or pink flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation Native to Europe and Asia, self-heal can be found in temperate regions worldwide. It is a wayside plant, growing in meadows and by roadsides, and thrives in sunny areas. Rarely cultivated, self-heal can easily be grown from seed or by root division. The aerial parts are picked in summer when in flower.
History & Folklore: As its name indicates, self-heal has been used for centuries to staunch bleeding and heal wounds. John Gerard wrote: “there is not a better wounde herbe in the world than that of selfe-heale.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses : Self-heal is an undervalued astringent and wound-healer with tonic activity. In common with other members of the mint family, such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and sage, it has powerful antioxidant and tissue-protective activity-making it potentially of value in many chronic illnesses. Its antioxidant and astringent activity makes it beneficial in conditions such as sore throat, inflammatory bowel disease, and diarrhea, and to heal internal bleeding. Externally, a otion can be applied to treat leukorrhea (vaginal discharge). In Chinese medicine, self-heal is taken with ju hua (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) for fevers, headaches, dizziness, and vertigo, and is thought to cool “liver fire.”
