{"id":40185,"date":"2022-03-22T09:59:38","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T09:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/?p=40185"},"modified":"2022-03-22T10:08:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T10:08:12","slug":"self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Self heal (Prunella vulgaris) Foraging Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Selfheal \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-40185 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40193'>\n\t\t\t\tAnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40186'>\n\t\t\t\t\u0410\u0438\u043c\u0430\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0445\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0438, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40188'>\n\t\t\t\tAnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40189'>\n\t\t\t\tAnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40191'>\n\t\t\t\tJavier martin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/03\/22\/self-heal-prunella-vulgaris-foraging-guide\/selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-40195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-40195'>\n\t\t\t\tAnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Self Heal is a common and edible member of the Mint family. It\u2019s a creeping, perennial plant with a long history of use in herbal medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Hippocrates said \u2018let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.\u2019 And this plant is a perfect example of that philosophy.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Common Names for Self Heal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Selfheal, Self-heal, Heal-all, Woundwort, Heart-of-the-earth, Carpenter&#8217;s herb, Brownwort, Blue curls<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Botanical Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Prunella vulgaris<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Scientific Classification<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Kingdom<\/strong> \u2013 Plantae<\/p>\n<p><strong>Order<\/strong> \u2013 Lamiales<\/p>\n<p><strong>Family<\/strong> \u2013 Lamiaceae<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Physical Characteristics for Selfheal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Leaves<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The leaves are lance-shaped, toothed and have red tips, they grow in opposite pairs along the square stems. Up to 3cm long.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40186\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40186\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40186\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-opposite-leaves.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40186\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0410\u0438\u043c\u0430\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0445\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0438, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40191\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40191\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40191\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-plant-from-above.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40191\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Javier martin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Flowers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The flowers can be pink, blue or purple and they grow on club-like, whirled clusters. \u00a0They are two-lipped and tubular. The top lip is a purple hood, and the bottom lip is often must paler in colour. Below the flowers are a pair of stalkless leaves that look a little like a collar.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40189\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40189\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-flower-in-summer.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40193\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40193\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40193\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-plant-growing-in-a-meadow-in-summer.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40193\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Seeds<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The fruits are oblong and purple when ripe and the seed heads quite often remain long after the plant has flowered.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40195\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40195\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40195\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-seed-head.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40195\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40188\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40188\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40188\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Selfheal-shot-of-the-dried-flower-head.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40188\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AnRo0002, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Habitat<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s quite a common plant, it prefers grassy places such as meadows, woodland edges and roadsides.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Known Hazards<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Some people have reported allergic reactions after consuming this plant.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Could be Confused with&#8230;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Other members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/tag\/mint\/\">Mint family,<\/a> the most similar looking is Bugle (Ajuga reptans) but this has blue flowers and the leaves have a bronze tinge. Bugle is quite rare in the UK but it is also edible.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Edible Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>All parts of the part are edible. The leaves and shoots can be used raw in salads or cooked as a leafy green.<\/p>\n<p>The leaves, shoots and flowers were traditionally dried and powdered to make a tea.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Notes on Herbal Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and is typically taken in the form of teas made from the leaves and flowers. It is said to be useful in treating<\/p>\n<p>The plant contains vitamins A, B, C, K, flavonoids, and rutin.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also high in antioxidants and has been the subject of much recent research.<\/p>\n<p>The leaves and stems are said to be antibacterial, astringent, diuretic, hypotensive, anti-tumour and a powerful antioxidant.<\/p>\n<p>The flower spikes have been used for centuries to restore the liver and modern research suggests that the plant does possess hepatoprotective (liver-protecting) properties.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>References:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.first-nature.com\/flowers\/prunella-vulgaris.php#:~:text=Similar%20Species&amp;text=The%20much%20more%20lax%2Dflowered,a%20reddish%20or%20purplish%20tinge\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.first-nature.com\/flowers\/prunella-vulgaris.php#:~:text=Similar%20Species&amp;text=The%20much%20more%20lax%2Dflowered,a%20reddish%20or%20purplish%20tinge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatweeds.co.uk\/selfheal-prunella-vulgaris\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eatweeds.co.uk\/selfheal-prunella-vulgaris<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prunella_vulgaris\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prunella_vulgaris<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Selfheal \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible Self Heal is a common and edible member of the Mint family. It\u2019s a creeping, perennial plant with a long history of use in herbal medicine. Hippocrates said \u2018let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.\u2019 And this plant is a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":40189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,86],"tags":[239,152,1058,531,1351,1344,1343,238,1346],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40185"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40677,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40185\/revisions\/40677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}