Selfheal – wild antibacterial inhibits E.coli and others
Selfheal, Prunella vulgaris, is also known as Common Selfheal, Heal-all and Allheal. There is another plant also known as All-heal, the Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, which has completely different properties and should not be confused with this plant. They do look entirely different, though, so this shouldn’t really be a problem.
Selfheal is a hardy perennial, growing to a height of about 37cm (15″) found in the wild from Norway to Northern Africa. It will grow in pretty much any soil, so long as it is moist (but not boggy), in full sun or semi-shade. It can become invasive if grown next to a lawn which is always moist, so try and put it somewhere not so tempting!
Make a standard infusion from the whole plant, using about 30g (1 ounce) dried herb or 3 handfuls of fresh to 570ml (2½ US cups, 1 UK pint) of boiling water. Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes (3-4 hours is better), then strain for use. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The dose is 200-300ml (say, 6-11 fl oz, ¾-1¼ US cups) per day, for internal use.
Use selfheal to treat infections, diarrhea, and also internal parasites. It can also be used as a gargle for soreness of the mouth, gums and throat, and as a wash for open wounds, boils, hemorrhoids and the like. It may also be helpful in treating scabies.
As with all herbs grown for medicinal or culinary use, selfheal should be grown organically to avoid adulterating its active constituents with foreign chemicals from fertilizers or pesticides. To find out more about growing organic selfheal, visit the Gardenzone.
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November 3rd, 2008 at 15:05
[...] is also known as Garden Heliotrope and sometimes as All-heal (although this name is also used for Prunella vulgaris, which I will talk about in my next post). It’s closely related to the American Valerian, [...]