I treasure the blooming of beautiful Prunella vulgaris - Self Heal. It's a wild, non-native around here, that shows up along roads and paths and in garden beds. This is one of those plants that puts into question the definition of "weed." It spreads profusely, but is pretty and functional in the garden - I see it more as a gift.
Their bluish purple flowers seem to glow against the green of other foliage. The flowers are a complex cluster, and bees love them. They call to mind a cathedral or castle tower with many chambers inside. These soon turn into seeds; once you have one or two Self Heal, you'll have them forever. I think that's a good thing; as a landscaper, it feels like a waste removing them from clients' gardens, and often leave one or two in strategic areas, pulling just the ones that are in inconvenient places.
It is a clumping groundcover, that prefers sun but won't flourish if too dry. Takes advantage of disturbed soil but thrives in fertile areas. The better the soil, the taller the flowers.
The tops and flowers can be picked and used fresh or dry in hot or cold teas. It can be used in a poultice or salve for wounds, gargles for a sore throat and is a general tonic for well being. I think there is a reason this plant is so plentiful, and wants to grow everywhere in our disturbed areas; we have a lot of self-healing to do. Now that the weather has warmed up, I'll be tossing a few into herbal iced teas (how easy is that?) and of course leaving some for the bees, and just to admire.
This has got to be the must vulgar article of the day.
I hope so! ;)
"vulgaris" translates as "common"
So nice to see common plants showcased! I am trying to increase my plant knowledge since I just healed myself of an infection without antibiotics and I have only nutrition, herbs and medicinal fungi to thank! Apologies for the sneaky research on the side, but I believe we know some of the same people in the West Coast. If you see Caylie in Gab, give a hug and try to get her on here! Also, how is self heal most commonly used? Topically, tincture, tea? heard the name, but oddly enough I am learning backwards from chinese and indian herbs and only getting around to well known north american natives and the like. Another great article @janamaclaughlin ! Checking your feed when you have connected with good folk is like getting to stop by for tea and learn something each day! Much nicer than combing through hundreds of crypto articles and half content. Cheers!
Hey there! Ha ha, yes, Caylie and I did our PDC together but I haven't seen her since. Hoping to go to Gabriola and drop her a line.
Self Heal is most commonly used topically or as a tea, and is best fresh but can be dried. I'm not sure about tincturing it, I think somewhere I read that it doesn't tincture well, but I'll have to look into that more.
I saw your post about finding the eco people on here and totally feel the same. I've only been on here a few days but am also trying to find "the others" and genuine, practical content. I think this platform has a lot of potential for that and permaculture/systems thinking stuff but it isn't quite realized yet. It'd be a lot easier if we could follow tags or groups... but it's all still in beta so I think that is to come!
Thanks again and I look forward to "stopping in for tea" with you some more!
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