The medicinal benefits of selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
Selfheal ( Prunella vulgaris ) is a native British plant, found among short grass on waste ground, grassland and open spaces in woodland, where it raises its closely packed heads of bright purple flowers. Creeping stems spread the plant over wide areas, so that the flowers often carpet the ground along dry, grassy banks. The flowers are arranged around terminal spikes, but do not open at the same time, resulting in an extended flowering period, from June to September. Selfheal has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries, often as an astringent, and was identified as the herb used by Dioscorides, the ancient Greek physician, to cure inflammation of the throat and tonsils. Its common name stems from its popularity as a plant used according to the old belief in the “Doctrine of signatures”, whereby a plant’s medicinal use to mankind was gauged by aspects of its appearance. In the case of Selfheal, the mouth-like structures of its flowers led to it being used as a remedy for