The magic of self-heal
Plus moths caught in the act, tree music and resilient weeds...
One of the many plants I’d never noticed before I started learning about foraging is self-heal, also known as heal-all, or Prunella vulgaris. It’s a pretty little plant (flowering from around May to around October) with an impressive CV. Self-heal not only contains vitamins A, B, C and K, but is high in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory ans anti-viral, stimulates the lymphatic system, stops bleeding, reduces blood pressure, stimulates healing and… more! As its common names suggest, this plant seems to be an all-round healer!
In The Herbal Year, Christina Hart-Davies says:
“A well-known medical herbalist told me that, when helping a friend to move house, he shut his thumb in a car door, injuring it quite badly. He noticed self-heal growing in his friend’s lawn, so picked some, chewed it slightly to get the juices flowing, applied it to his thumb and wrapped a clean handkerchief around it. Each time he returned with another load of furniture, he replaced the makeshift poultice, and by the end of the day it was almost completely healed.”
I must admit, I’ve not tried self-heal myself as all the local patches I’ve found are also very popular dog walking spots (and thankfully I’ve not been desperate for a poultice on the go), but I’ve got a small patch in my garden which is slowly multiplying, so next time I get a cold or a cut I’ll be sure to give self-heal a go.
This video from Home is Where Our Heart is on YouTube introduces you to self-heal (from people who actually know what they’re talking about!). Dane and Stelly talk you through how to identify the plant, its medicinal uses and even show you how to preserve it for teas and balms.
I’m sure this goes without saying, but never consume anything foraged unless you’re 100% certain you can identify it correctly and if you’re on medication it’s best to check with your doctor before taking any herbal remedies.
Sources and Further Reading
The Herbal Year: Folklore, History & Remedies by Christina Hart-Davies (affiliate link)
Wildflower Flavours: Selfheal Profile
Other Things to Forage Now
Linden/lime (Tilia) blossoms, which I’ve been drinking as a tea all week.
Nettle seeds - now one of my favourite things to forage throughout the year (I add them to my breakfast most mornings).
Great Stuff From Other Folk
A few Substack posts I’ve loved this week (and I think you might like too)…
So you’ve collected some linden blossoms for tea… but have you heard their bioelectrical signals? Probably not. Until now that is, thanks to
who recently transferred his Eatweeds newsletter over to Substack.
Despite never having seen one in real life, I’ve been a big fan of Rosy Maple Moths for about a decade (I remember painting one way back when for a weird project I worked on called something like Magical Animals That Really Exist). Anyway,
caught two of these stunning moths having sex in the woods recently (!) and shared this lovely post about noticing things against all odds. His dog, Odin, is also a beauty, giving those pink and yellow moths a run for their money.
It won’t surprise you to learn I’m a big fan of
’s The Art of Noticing newsletter. I’ve noticed nature creeping into his posts more and more lately, and this week’s post featured some great commentary on weeds and their resilience.
Thank you so much for sharing this Zabby! We have lots of self heal in the garden (known in Dutch as 'bijenkorfje' or 'bee hive') and I'll definitely be picking some this weekend to make tea. I only knew that the bees love it, but not that I could consume it too :) And, it spreads really well as a ground cover, so once you have one patch, it'll easily expand. Have a good weekend! x
When the world recognizes herbs have been used for thousands of years and conveniently located, not found in a hurry up plastic bottle world the better off people will be. Herbs may be slower to heal, but most ate timely tested. Ask and Chinese herbal authority. Can garlic, horseradish and healing honey be wrong?
We want fast results. Maybe that’s why the world rushes to oblivion as we don’t stop to smell the roses.