Selfheal
Quick Facts
- What it is: A purple-flowered mint-family plant used in European folk medicine for wounds, sore throats and sore mouths.
- Main uses: Sore throat and mouth gargle, Minor skin wounds, Cold sores, Traditional use for swollen glands
- Active ingredients: Rosmarinic acid, Ursolic acid, Prunellin, Tannins
- Forms: Dried herb tea, Tincture, Capsules, Gargle or mouth rinse, Cream or salve
- Time to effect: A gargle may soothe at once; other effects are unproven.
- Side effects: Usually mild: stomach upset, dry mouth, rare skin rash or allergy.
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What is Selfheal?
Selfheal is a small wild plant with a purple flower spike, used in European folk medicine for wounds and sore throats. It is sold today as a tea, a tincture or a capsule. The leaves and flower spikes are the parts used.
The plant is Prunella vulgaris, a member of the mint family. It grows wild across Europe, Asia and North America. German sources call it Braunelle; English names include heal-all and woundwort.
Human evidence is thin. Almost all research is laboratory work on cells, not trials in people. Long use in folk medicine is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
How does Selfheal work?
Nobody has shown how selfheal acts in the human body. The ideas below come from test-tube and animal work.
In laboratory tests, selfheal extracts slow herpes simplex virus from entering cells. A sugar-based compound called prunellin appears to do much of this. Whether the same thing happens on human skin or lips is not known.
In test tubes, rosmarinic acid appears to mop up free radicals (unstable molecules that damage cells). It also appears to dampen some inflammation signals (the body's swelling and irritation response).
Animal studies hint at lower blood sugar and lower blood pressure. These results have not been confirmed in people. The old use as a mouth rinse may simply reflect tannins, which make tissue feel tighter and drier.
What forms does Selfheal come in?
Most selfheal on sale is dried herb for tea.
Common forms: - Loose dried herb or tea bags - Tincture, an alcohol-based liquid extract - Capsules of powdered herb or extract - Gargles and mouth rinses - Skin creams and salves, often mixed with other herbs
Young leaves are also eaten as a wild salad green in some regions. The flower spike is dried and sold in Chinese herb shops as xia ku cao.
Selfheal products are not standardised. Two bottles can hold very different amounts of active plant compounds. Look for a label that names the plant as Prunella vulgaris and gives the plant part used.
Where it comes from:
European folk healers treated selfheal as a wound herb, which is how it earned the name heal-all. Crushed leaves and herb washes were put on cuts and bruises.
It was also used as a gargle for sore throats and sore mouths. Sixteenth-century herbal writers such as John Gerard praised it for wounds. The German name Braunelle is linked to an old word for a throat illness.
In Chinese medicine the dried flower spike is called xia ku cao. It was given for swollen glands, eye complaints and goitre (a swollen thyroid gland in the neck).
These records tell you what people did. They do not tell you whether it helped.
Who should avoid Selfheal?
- Do not use selfheal if you take warfarin, apixaban or another blood thinner, unless your doctor agrees.
- Avoid selfheal if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because there is no safety data.
- Do not use it on deep, gaping or dirty wounds, or on an animal bite.
- Avoid it if you are allergic to mint-family plants such as basil, lemon balm or mint.
- Do not use it instead of antibiotics for a throat infection with high fever.
- Do not give it to babies or young children without a doctor's advice.
- Avoid it for two weeks before planned surgery, because of the possible bleeding risk.
- Do not rely on it for a cold sore near or in the eye; see a doctor the same day.
- Do not use it to self-treat a new lump in your neck.
When should you see a doctor?
Stop selfheal and see a doctor if you get a rash, hives or stomach pain that does not settle.
See a doctor the same day if a sore throat comes with high fever, drooling or trouble swallowing. Also get a wound checked if it is red, hot, swollen or leaking pus.
Call emergency services for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or any trouble breathing. Unusual bruising or bleeding while on a blood thinner also needs urgent advice.
Is Selfheal legal where you live?
In the UK, EU and US, selfheal is sold as a herbal tea or food supplement. It is not licensed as a medicine, so no product may claim to treat a disease.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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