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common self-heal

plant
Also known as: Prunella vulgaris

Quick Summary

Common self-heal, or Prunella vulgaris, is a low-growing perennial plant in the mint family, native to Eurasia and North America. Historically, it was considered a cure-all and is still used in herbal medicine, with dried leaves and flowers brewed for sore throats. Other common names include heal-all and allheal.1

Self-heals often grow as weeds in lawns and disturbed areas, with branches that readily root when touching soil. They have small, two-lipped, lilac or white flowers clustered in dense spikes, and leaves with smooth or sparsely toothed margins on square stems. Plants, in general, have remarkable regenerative capabilities, with mechanisms for growth and repair that are common to regeneration.12

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