Self-heal - Prunella vulgaris

Common Names: Self-heal, Heal-all, Heart-of-the-earth, Woundwort, Carpenter's herb, Prunella vulgaris, Brunella vulgaris, Brunella, Blue curls, Hook-heal, Sicklewort, Slough-heal, Allheal, Xia ku cao (Chinese), Globally: Selfheal, Prunella

Latin Name: Prunella vulgaris

Origin: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, North America

Short Introduction

Self-heal is very easy to cultivate, as it is highly adaptable and quickly naturalizes. It thrives in moist environments and benefits from frequent watering. The best location offers partial shade or full sun. Ordinary garden soil is sufficient, and sowing is typically done directly from seeds without the need for special treatment.

Detailed Description

A potent medicinal herb, Self-heal offers significant disinfectant activity against mouth ulcers and inflammation.

Botanical Information

Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris, is a perennial herb that typically grows to a height of 5–30 cm (2–12 inches). Its stem is creeping, flexible, hairy, square-shaped, and often reddish, from which petiolate leaves arise. The leaves are lance-shaped, simple, opposite, serrated along the margin, slightly reddish at the stalk, about 2.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Each leaf displays 3–7 veins radiating from the center toward the edges. The petiole is generally short, though it can reach up to 5 cm in length. Flowers appear in shades ranging from pinkish to white or bluish-purple, blooming at varying times depending on environmental conditions, usually between June and August.

Origin and Distribution

Originally considered native to Europe, Self-heal is now found across almost all of Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as in regions with warm climates. No written historical indicators pinpoint its exact origin, but today, its range extends throughout Europe, Siberia, East Asia, North Africa, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

In the Czech Republic, Self-heal is abundant from lowlands into mountainous areas, less common in forested regions. It grows wild in meadows, pastures, woodland edges, orchards, and urban areas, naturally favoring neutral to slightly acidic soils. It can be found in both damp and dry or grassy, wooded locations, but prefers moist, humus-rich loamy or clay-loam soils.

On a European scale, Self-heal is widespread almost everywhere, including Iceland, east to Siberia and Altai or China, as well as northwest Africa. It has been introduced to North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand by humans.

Usage / Dosage

In traditional folk medicine, Self-heal is used internally as an herbal tea made from decoctions of dried aerial parts to help with sore throats, influenza, diarrhea, support for liver function, and for heart issues. Externally, it is applied as a compress to irritated skin or insect bites. Decoctions can be used topically on areas affected by bacterial infection or wounds, serving as a natural disinfectant.

Folk healers frequently mention Self-heal’s effects in a variety of contexts, recommending it alone or in combination with other herbs for its skin-protective, tonic, detoxifying, hepatoprotective, and diuretic properties. It is also used for inflammatory stomach pain, hemorrhoids, and to relieve joint and muscle pain, notably in baths featuring decoctions.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Self-heal is generally prescribed for chronic illnesses. Austrian herbal tradition recommends decoctions of Self-heal for respiratory illnesses. Folk healers value it for its tonic effects when the immune system is impaired or weakened, especially for flu, colds, and infections of the liver, bladder, and lungs. Modern analysis has confirmed that the active ingredients in Self-heal, in proper concentrations, exhibit partial antibiotic action, notably against strains of Shigella, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Mycobacteria, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas, as well as an antiviral effect against sensitive common viruses.

Self-heal has anti-inflammatory effects, aids wound healing, accelerates treatment of inflammations and ulcers—especially in the mouth and throat. It is commonly used as a gargle for sore throat, tonsillitis, and other infectious diseases, and is recommended for oral hygiene. It helps relieve and delay inflammatory symptoms. Its compounds are reliable antioxidants that, through their effect against free radicals, help the immune system’s defense and resilience.

Historical remedies recommend using Self-heal for wound cleaning, disinfection, and preventing pus formation, either as a powder from finely ground dried plant or as compresses from fresh plants. Herbals note that harvesting Self-heal during flowering is most beneficial, as tannins, bitters, and resins are optimally balanced to support healing. As a hemostatic, a decoction boiled for two minutes is prepared for stomach issues and sore throat. Externally, it may be used for acne or minor infections. The famed herbalist Mattioli particularly recommended Self-heal for external use: mouth rinses, canker sores, gum inflammation, facial and head inflammation, and wound washing, either alone or in mixtures with herbs like hyssop, chamomile, or sage.

The active constituents of Self-heal are known to result in minor but statistically significant reductions in blood glucose in healthy individuals. Combining Self-heal with other herbal extracts provides slightly better effects than single-herb usage, without serious side effects.

Active Compounds

Self-heal contains a wide variety of phytochemicals, including tannins (mainly tannic acids), bitters, flavonoids (cyanidin, taurine, delphinidin, hyperoside), essential oils, resins, organic acids (rosmarinic acid, lauric acid, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, caffeic acid), mineral salts, vitamins B1, C, and K, beta-sitosterol, and latex. It also includes a specific compound responsible for blood clotting, though this has not yet been fully identified.

Traditional Dosage

Fresh leaves or aerial parts can be eaten raw in salads or as a garnish, or heated, dried, powdered, cooked, sweetened, and chilled for iced salads, or steeped to prepare tea for regular consumption. Decoctions are typically made by simmering aerial parts for 2 minutes and cooling for compresses to control bleeding, or by steeping 2 tablespoons of the herb in 0.5 L of hot water, boiling for about 15 minutes. This extract is best drunk 3 times a day before meals.

For women’s health, especially cases involving ovarian inflammation or menopausal complaints, a mixture of Self-heal (5 parts), dead-nettle tops (5 parts), chamomile flowers (4 parts), St. John’s wort tops (2 parts, optional), betony tops (2 parts), sage tops (1 part), lady’s mantle tops (5 parts), and yarrow tops (3 parts) can be sipped as tea or used for sitz baths (primarily with lady’s mantle) for women’s conditions.