Self-heal

Description:

Prunella is a genus of seven species of herbaceous plants in the family Lamiaceae, also known as self-heals, heal-all, or "allheal" for their use in herbal medicine.

Habitat:

Most are native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but Prunella vulgaris (the Common Self-heal) is Holarctic in distribution, occurring in North America as well, and is a common lawn weed. Self-heals are low-growing plants, and thrive in moist wasteland and grass, spreading rapidly to cover the ground. They are members of the mint family and have the square stem common to mints. [edit]Biological descriptions The common name "self-heal" derives from the use of some species to treat a range of minor disorders. Self-heal can be grown from seed, or divide clumps in spring or autumn. Uses In the Pacific Northwest, its juice was used by the Quinault and the Quileute on boils.[citation needed] They also used the whole plant to treat cuts and inflammations.[citation needed] Ointments can be made by fixing the plant with grease.[disambiguation needed] Dried Prunella (Chinese: 夏枯草) is used to make a herbal drink. Food uses The mildly bitter leaves are also good as salad greens. Prunella species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora albitarsella. [edit]As a health supplement Prunella vulgaris is also used as an ingredient in some bodybuilding supplements as for its antiestrogenic activity - for which an efficacy has been demonstrated only in mice.

Notes:

spotted in river homem felinhos beach