Self heal, or heal-all is another common weed with seriously helpful virtues. You probably have this growing in your backyard. You will want to get to know this one and introduce it to your first aid kit!

BOTANICAL NAME: Prunella vulgaris 

COMMON NAMES: Self Heal, Heal-All

FAMILY: Lamiaceae (Mint family)

PARTS USED: Aerial parts

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: Selfheal is an herbaceous low-growing, perennial herb that grows about 12” tall and can get up to 2 feet in height. It has square stems with oppositely paired ovate leaves and many bluish purple flowers that appear in dense, oblong spikes on the top of its stems. It blooms between May and October, with seeds ripening from August to September and purple-tinged seed heads remain after flowering. Maude Grieve also has a very elegant but lengthy description on the website botanical.com.

GROWING/HARVESTING/PROCESSING: Self Heal is a perennial up to zones 3-4. It is native to Europe, but now grows in North America and can be found in grasslands, gardens, fields, pastures, and woodland edges. It prefers neutral soils but can also be grown on mildly acidic soil (pH 6-7). Selfheal prefers moist soil, which can be either light (sandy), medium (loamy), or heavy (clay). It grows best in light shade or full sun, although if grown in very hot conditions should be planted in a spot protected from hot afternoon sun. Due to selfheal’s ability to rapidly thrive in damp conditions, it is often considered a weed of lawns and moist shady spots.

Because plants can concentrate lead and other pollutants, they shouldn’t be harvested from roadsides or places where chemical spraying occurs. Selfheal can be gathered any time it is in flower (summer) and can be picked from the root or the stem, depending upon the intended purpose. The top portion of the plant (stem, leaves, flower) can be dried for tea by laying the contents on a towel in the open for a few days, then storing them in a paper bag or glass jar away from sunlight.

Stratify seeds for at least 1 month before sowing. Propagate by seed sown in autumn or spring, or by division in spring. Germinates in 1-3 weeks with a spacing of 8-12 inches and a soil temperature of 60-70F. Transplant outdoors in mid- to late spring. Water moderately. It does spread by rhizome, but is easily controlled. 

PARTS USED: aerial parts

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Cold, moist, sweet, bitter, spicy (pungent)

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Tannins, mucilage, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, hyperoside, quercetin, rutin, D-camphor, delphinidin, manganese, carotene, alkaloids, vitamins C & D, B1 and K.

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Astringent, antibiotic, antiseptic, antiviral, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant, vulnerary, antioxidant (particularly for UVB-induced photoaging and photo-inflammation), antipyretic, alterative, cholagogue, diuretic, styptic, hypotensive, refrigerant

INDICATIONS: Selfheal’s high mucilage content makes it ideal for drawing out heat and infection both internally and externally and was considered one of the best wound healing plants available in older herbal literature. It is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for clearing heat from the liver, jaundice, hepatitis, high blood pressure, and edema. Herbalist William LeSassier regarded it as an important herb for building and nourishing the kidneys and used it when excess protein waste products (urates) burdened the liver and the kidneys, precipitating with calcium to weaken teeth and bones. 

The flower resembles a mouth and throat, hence the traditional European use in tonsillitis and sore throats. (Matthew Wood) It was also traditionally used to alleviate fever and accelerate wound healing.

Western Medicinal Uses: 

• Internally, selfheal has been used in Western medicine for hemorrhage and to decrease excessive menstruation. It is astringent and helps slow and stop bleeding both internally and externally.
• Self-heal contains substances that are diuretic and act against tumors. Lab tests indicate it may also be antibiotic, hypotensive and anti-mutagenic in action.  
• Chemical analyses have shown that heal-all has antibiotic and antiseptic properties that are effective against herpes and e. coli, among others. It has shown promise in treating AIDS and tuberculosis and some forms of cancer. (Mountain Rose)
• HIV Research: A 1993 Canadian study regarding HIV-1 found that a purified extract of Selfheal was able to significantly inhibit HIV-1 replication with very low toxicity. The extract was able to inhibit HIV-1 in both lymph and blood. Although prunellin was unable to prevent HIV-1 infection when cells were pretreated with the purified herbal extract, the virus’ ability to cause infection was dramatically decreased when it was saturated with prunellin. The purified extract was also able to block cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1. Moreover, the extract was also able to interfere with the ability of HIV-1 to bind to CD4 cells. The researchers suggest that self heal extract antagonizes HIV-1 infection of susceptible cells by preventing viral attachment to the CD4 receptor.
• Externally in Western medicine, used for minor injuries, sores, burns, bruises, sore throat, mouth inflammations, and hemorrhoids (whole plant). The juice of a crushed stem or two will soothe nettle stings, minor bouts with poison ivy, insect bites and stings. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine:

Self Heal is used for jaundice, sore and swollen eyeballs, over-sensitivity to light, headache and dizziness, gout, scrofula, and high blood pressure. 

Chinese research shows the herb to have a moderately-strong antibiotic action against a broad range of pathogens, including the Shigella species and e. coli strains of which can cause enteritis and urinary infections. Studies also indicate that self-heal has a mildly dilating effect on the blood vessels, helping to lower blood pressure. In China, self-heal is taken on its own or with Chrysanthemum for fevers, headaches, dizziness, and vertigo, and to soothe and calm inflamed and sore eyes. It is thought to cool “liver fire” resulting from liver weakness, and is prescribed for infected and enlarged glands, especially the lymph nodes of the neck. It is said to clear the liver, brighten the eyes, and dissipate nodules. 

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use with caution if pregnant or nursing. 

PREPARATION & DOSAGE: Soluble in water, alcohol. Topical preparations include a fresh plant poultice, eyewash (using the infusion), mouthwash (with infusion or tincture), ointment/salve (using the infused oil). When making an oil infusion, let the plants wilt for a day before adding to oil. 

Dosage: 9-15g. up to 30g when used alone. Can be infused into water, alcohol or oil. 

• Tincture: Dried herb (1:3, 40% alcohol), 1.5-3 ml 1-3x/day
• Standard infusion: 9-15 g in infusion

DRUG INTERACTIONS: No known drug interactions. 

COMBINATIONS:

• Sore throat – combine with horehound, spilanthes, and marshmallow root
• Wound healing – combine with plantain, comfrey, and calendula
• For fever and headaches- combine with chrysanthemum flower

HOMEOPATHIC USE: None listed in Boericke’s New Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory, William Boericke, but one source says that it is used homeopathically for colitis. 

FLOWER ESSENCE USE: The flower of confidence. As its namesake, it is used to enhance our own healing powers. We are able to heal ourselves emotionally and spiritually, and it is particularly recommended for those who doubt their innate recuperative powers, for those who cannot face the responsibility of looking after themselves and hand over the responsibility of their physical, mental, emotional or spiritual welfare to healers, counsellors, and gurus. 

Self heal flower essences is one of the most fundamental and broadly applicable remedies for true soul healing and balance. It address a very special relationship between the etheric or life body and the Spiritual Self. It is especially indicated for those who have lost belief in their own capacity to be well, or have abdicated this inherent responsibility to healers or others. It is a very beneficial remedy for those who face great healing challenges, whether physical, mental, or spiritual.

ETHNOBOTANY/FOLKLORE/HISTORY: Prunella vulgaris has a long history of use as an herbal remedy for throat ailments.  European herbalists have always regarded it primarily as a wound herb. Its ability to stop bleeding gave it an assortment of other names including carpenter’s herb, sicklewort and woundwort. The generic name Prunella is thought to be a corruption of Brunella, from the German Brunellen, which relates to the power this herb was thought to possess of curing an inflammation of the mouth known as die Brellen.

The Cherokee used selfheal for food. The Cherokee also employed selfheal as a dermatological aid, using infused root as a wash for bruises, diabetic sores, cuts, and acne. Additionally, the Cherokee used the plant as an adjuvant for flavoring other medicines, or in a cold infusion for washing burns. The Blackfoot Indians made use of infused Prunella vulgaris in a variety of ways. For both humans and horses, it could be used as an eyewash on cold or windy days and as a dermatological aid (applied to neck sores or used to wash burst boils on humans; applied to saddle and back sores on horses).The Cree natives of Hudson Bay chewed the herb for sore throats. The Iroquois harnessed selfheal for a use as an antidiarrheal, emetic, antiemetic, blood purifier, cold remedy, cough medicine, gastrointestinal aid, gynecological aid, hemorrhoid remedy, orthopedic aid, pulmonary aid, respiratory aid, tuberculosis remedy, sedative, and venereal aid. Among many native groups, including the Algonquin, Delaware, Iroquois, and Mohican, selfheal was used as a febrifuge (fever reducer), typically in liquid form.

In China, self heal was first mentioned in Chinese medical literature during the Han dynasty, mainly for complaints associated with disturbed liver energy.

Druids gathered self-heal in a manner similar to that used for vervain. It was to be picked when the Dog Star was rising, at night, during the dark of the moon. It was dug up by the roots with the Druid’s golden sickle and then held a lot in the left hand. After prayers of thanksgiving were said, the flowers, leaves, and stalks were separated for drying. Place self-heal on the altar when working healing magic. And be sure to leave a gift for the Earth to compensate her for her loss when you pick this precious herb. The herb is ruled by Venus. 

REFERENCES:

1. Washington College – Selfheal profile
2. Flower Power, Anne McIntyre, 1996.
3. The Earthwise Herbal Volume I, Matthew Wood, 2008.
4. NIH – Prunella vulgaris L. Exerts a Protective Effect Against Extrinsic Aging Through NF-κB, MAPKs, AP-1, and TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathways in UVB-Aged Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts
5. Planetary Herbology, Michael Tierra, 1988.
6. Herbalpedia
7. www.botanical.com
8. www.mountainroseherbs.com

** This article is for educational purposes only. The content of this article has not been approved by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. **