SELF HEAL – A LITTLE HERB

| gaiainaction

Deep among the strawberry and raspberry plants I have discovered a little herb, one that I have actually known about for years, that is I knew about it’s beautiful appearance, but I knew nothing about it’s uses, and it is amazing how useful this plant really is.
So I did some research and came up with quite a bit of information on the self heal (Prunella vulgaris). I learnt that modern Western herbalists had almost forgotten about it. But in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine it has been used extensively to date. I was very surprised to hear that this plant belongs to the mint family. It appears that we can use the young shoots and leaves in salads, or we could add some of them when making soup. It apparently makes a nice cup of tea too, and the taste is said to be a little like rosemary. I don’t know yet as I did not acutally taste or made tea with the herb. But I will.  And I like getting to know more and more plants that I can brew tea with, there is something fascinating about picking and drying your own teas, and then using some nice porcelain cups and teapot to drink in this health giving liquid, and serve them to friends or family.

Medicinally it appears that the plant is a real good wound healer. What also interested me very much about self heal is that in traditional Chinese medicine, self-heal is looked upon as a cooling herb, making it useful against fevers and liver and kidney disorders, and it mentions that it is often used as a tonic. It is also said to be good for throat infections, and historically it was used for just such ailment.

Importantly;    I must add though that I am not a herbalist and I am only repeating what I read in articles found on Google, so please let anyone do their own research, and check interactions etc…
I found information at these links, but also I learnt facts about self heal at my herbal course (HerbMentor.com).
I am sure that you will fine a lot more interesting information on self heal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunella_vulgaris
http://www.motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/an-herb-to-know-7.aspx?PageId=2
http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=237
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/selfhe40.html
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10 thoughts on “SELF HEAL – A LITTLE HERB”

  1. I love this little plant. It grows ‘wild’ in my garden. I knew about the wound healing properties but did not realize that you could eat the young leaves in salad or make a tea. Fascinating. Lovely post.

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      1. It seems to like rich moist soil although I’ve seen it on sandy roadsides if they are moist. There’s an interesting color variation with white and purple petals.

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  3. hi zusje, yes I know Prunella, in an old book I have of Herbs and Medicinal Flowers, Prunella Vulgaris is translated as Blackthorn. That does not sound right at all, looking at the photo, so I looked further. In the Readers Digest Wild plants of West- and Middle Europe, it is called ‘Brunel’ in Flemish and that flower looks like your photo. There is also a wild variety called Prunella Grandiflora, it loves warmth and dry conditions, whereas the vulgaris preferes wet conditions. It was used to heal throat infections, especially in Germany. The use as an antiseptic for the mouth is confirmed in a big Dutch guide to wild flowers. Thanks for your blog, it is great!

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    1. Thanks zusje, great information. Yes Brunel – what I have here is ordinary brunel, or prunella vulgaris. I have got some jojoba oil since today, and I plant to make a serum from the self heal, that will be a fun experiment 🙂

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