💊 Self-Heal
🍴 Edible Parts
🤝 Companions (8)
⚠️ Keep Apart (2)
💊 Medicinal Uses
Versatile vulnerary (wound healer) and lymphatic tonic. Contains rosmarinic acid, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid — anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant. Used topically for wounds, burns, and herpes sores. Internally as sore throat gargle, lymph cleanser, and mild hypotensive. Traditional Chinese medicine uses it for 'liver fire' (hypertension, red eyes, headache).
📜 History & Traditional Uses
Name derives from its reputation as a panacea that 'heals all.' Used in European folk medicine for throat and mouth ailments. Native Americans used it for skin conditions and fevers. Called 'xia ku cao' in TCM, harvested when summer flowers fade. Once considered a holy herb in medieval monastery gardens.
📝 Notes
Low-growing mint family herb with purple flower spikes. Often found as a 'weed' in lawns — spreads by creeping stolons. Makes an excellent ground cover in orchard or forest garden understories. Harvest flowering tops for medicine. Mild, pleasant taste; one of the more palatable medicinal herbs.