Prunella vulgaris

Self Heal in British Columbia (Edibility and Identification)

Prunella vulgaris is a medicinal herb that's claimed to help protect against viruses, infections, and several chronic diseases. This article provides a detailed overview of Prunella vulgaris, including its potential benefits and side effects.

The alternate name for this herb in English says it all: ‘self-heal’ or ‘heal-all’. Prunella (Chinese pinyin name: xia ku cao) is used classically in traditional Chinese medicine to help the Liver function more smoothly and to break up masses and lumps. Having a bitter, acrid flavor, it also is used to address eyeball pain and tearing of the eyes as well as aversion to light. Prunella helps relieve sinew and bone pain, pulmonary tuberculosis, acute icteric (jaundice) infectious hepatitis…

As a child in the country near Eugene western self heal was one of the first wildflowers I learned to identify. And its a beautiful and fascinating native perennial. This ‘weed’ circles the world but our locally native form is an exceptional improvement. Lance shaped basal leaves (the trick for identifying our local sub-species) forms […]

Botanical Name: Prunella vulgaris. Other Common Names: Common self heal, selfheal, heal-all, heart of the earth, bronella, pronella, prunella. Habitat: Self heal is thought to have originated in Europe. Today, it is found in most countries with a suitable habitat, including Europe, Asia, Japan, and North America. It requires moist soil but is found in all terrains, including grasslands, woodland edges, roadsides, and wastelands. It prefers areas which are either in direct sunlight or only…

Selfheal is a great wildflower for attracting bees. Low-growing and looks great in lawns!

Wilder botanics on Instagram: “Self - heal (Prunella vulgaris) also known as All heal has anti viral properties and has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese…”

Montgomery County, Texas

Growing in abundance on the side of the road in Montgomery County, Texas

This article is part of our “How to Grow Herbs” series. If you would like to learn more about how to work with this plant after you harvest it, please refer to our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here .