Self-Heal
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Common Name: Self-Heal or Heal All
Latin Name: Prunella vulgaris
Annual/Perennial: Perennial
Sun/Shade: Full Sun / Partial Shade
Height/Width: 10-12 inches tall
Bloom Time: Early and Mid-Summer
Zone: 3-7
Parts of Plant Used: leaves and flowers
Medicinal Benefits: (Heal All was named that for a reason. You can use it for many different issues. These are just some of them.) Analgesic, antiviral, astringent, anti-inflamatory, pain reliever, lymphatic, direutic, HIV, herpes, cold sores, gingivitis, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, dementia, colds and flus, wounds, swollen glands., digestive tract.
Ways to Use: tea, tonic, cream, infused oil, tincture, syrup, compress, ointmentm, poultice, honey, bath or foot soak.
Recipes: Tea for Cold Sore Breakout – 1 TBS Heal All Leaf, 1 TBS Lemon Balm Leaf, 1 TBS Tulsi Leaf, 1 TBS Chamomile Flowers, 1 Tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Peppermint Leaf, 1 TBS Astragalus Root chopped. Mix all together. Use 1 heaping tsp of mixture in 8 ounces of just under boiling, purified water. Steep for 5-10 minutes. Sweeten with honey if needed. Drink several cups throughout the day.
Infused Oil – Fill a glass jar with heal oil flowers and leaves. Cover the plant material with almond oil. Oil should be totally covering all the plant material. Cover tightly and place in a sunny windowsill. Shake once or twice a day. After 3 weeks, strain out material. You can make a stronger oil by repeating the process a second time using the infused oil. Strain again and keep the oil out of sunlight and tightly capped. This oil can be used for making salves, linaments and creams.
Arthritis Cream – Whip together at high speed I cup infused oil (or Almond Oil) and 1/2 cup of melted cocoa butter. While still whipping, add in 15 drops each of Peppermint Oil, Tulsi Oil, Oregano Oil, German Chamomile Oil, Melissa Oil, Helichrysium Oil, and Wintergreen Oil. Still whipping, add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Coconut oil. Mixture should be creamy. Place in jars and keep in the refrigerator. Should keep up to 2 months or more if refrigerated.