Folklore/Common Names: Heal All, All Heal, Prunella, Brunella, Heart of the Earth, Blue Curls, Hook Heal, Slough Heal, Brownwort, Carpenter's Weed, Hercules Woundwort, Sicklewort
Parts Used: Entire Arial (above ground) Herb
Historical Reference & Folklore
For an herb with such comprehensive names as "Heal All" and "Heart of the Earth", one would think this herb would have a long history of use. While its history does go back a respectable few hundred years, writers as early (or late, depending on your perspective) as 1657 were claiming new knowledge of it. At that time a doctrine of signatures proponent William Cole wrote in Adam in Eden: "'It is called by modern writers (for neither the ancient Greek nor Latin writers knew it) Brunella, from Brunellen, which is a name given unto it by the Germans, because it cureth that inflammation of the mouth which they call 'die Breuen,' yet the general name of it in Latin nowadays is Prunella, as being a word of a more gentile pronunciation." Cole was writing of a possible remedy for inflammation and swelling of the mouth and throat later known as trench mouth. (* The 'Doctrine of Signatures' was a practice in herbalism whereby a natural remedy was suggested based on the similarity of the plant to the properties of the body/ailment in question. Cole believed the shape of the flower clusters on Self-Heal resembled the throat.)
Also in the mid-1600's, noted English herbalists Nicholas Culpepper and John Gerard both extolled its virtues. In one example, Gerard recommends Self-Heal for external use, declaring "There is not a better Wound herbe...the very name importing it to be very admirable..." when the herb was used in salves, and recommended combining it with wine to "sound all wounds, both inward and outward". Culpepper even recommended combining it with Rose oil to combat headache and fatigue.
By 1931, M. Grieve in A Modern Herbal wrote, "The Self-Heal holds an equal place with Bugle in the esteem of herbalists" and suggests an infusion of the herb as "a general strengthener".
Medicinal Use
Today we know that Self-Heal is an active astringent, styptic, and tonic. Internally it is indeed a useful gargle for sore throat and sores of the mouth. Its astringent properties make it a useful remedy for diarrhea, and it has been shown to lower fevers, high blood pressure, and edema. Externally, it can be used effectively to treat minor wounds, bruises, minor scratches and insect bites. Modern homeopathic practitioners will often recommend Self-Heal for colitis.
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