Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a low-growing perennial herb in the mint family. It has fibrous roots, growing in damp areas, and flowers in summer. The leaves are on stalks and grow in opposite pairs with a variance from egg-shaped to lanceolate. The inflorescence has many flowers on terminal spikes and many leafy bracts.
It is widely used as a herbal remedy for infections and wounds. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is used in teas, tinctures, and salves. After flowering egg shaped nutlets form.
In our area with a dry climate in the valleys and lower heals, self-heal can only be found in open areas in the mid-elevation forests, usually on seep areas, by streams, at the edges of lakes, and in damp forest glades. The purple-blue flowers can grow in matted groups off the sides of trails.
