Prunella vulgaris – Heal-All Remedy Plant
Prunella vulgaris is also known as Heal-all, wound root and woundwort. This low growing plant attracts butterflies and bees and belongs to the mint family.
Prunella heal-all is Edible, the young leaves and stems are edible and make a good addition to salads. The aerial parts of the plant can be dried, powdered and brewed into a cold tea,
Medicinal Use – The plant is nutritional and medicinal and contains a number of vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatories, and antioxidants. It is most famous for its use in treating cold sores and genital herpes, but is also useful in treating a number of internal and external ailments.
It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, astringent, demulcent, hypotensive, immunomodulating, and vulnerary (healing). The entire plant is medicinal but the flowers, stems and leaves are most commonly used.
Here is EIGHT BIG Reasons why you should include this amazing, healing plant into your garden.
- Antiviral: A particular polysaccharide found in heal-all has been shown to inhibit the herpes virus (genital as well as cold sores) from binding and penetrating into host cells. It also significantly reduces the replication of the HIV virus.
- Immune Booster: The same antiviral polysaccharides also trigger an immune response as a result of bacterial infections. These effects of heal-all have been tested against gingivitis and show promising signs to treat auto-immune diseases.
- Anti-Cancer: The flavonoids found in heal-all have shown to reduce the size and weight of cancer growths and are currently used to treat thyroid, liver, and throat cancer.
- Anti-Estrogen: Estrogen-based cancers and tumors, such as breast and cervical cancer, can potentially be prevented as well as treated with heal-all thanks to its ability to decrease estrogen and its receptor.
- Anti-Insomnia: Lab tests show that the compounds mangiferin, rosmarinic acid and salviaflaside may be responsible for heal-alls ability to prolong sleep and improve sleep quality.
- Anti-Inflammatory: Research on rheumatoid arthritis has shown strong anti-inflammatory properties. This research is supported by other studies that looked at inflammation associated with gingivitis, acne, and post-surgery healing.
- Anit-Hyperglycemic: Heal-all has been shown to be able to reduce blood glucose levels but maintains a stable insulin level, which is ideal for treating diabetes.
- Heart Disease: A small study indicated that it can help to inhibit the accumulation of fat in the arteries.
How To Apply Heal-All, Dosage, And Shelf-Life
Dosage will depend on what you are treating, how severe it is, and your method of application. Bear in mind that topical symptoms and conditions can also be treated orally with heal-all, for example, herpes and acne.
Heal-All Tea
A teaspoon or two of fresh or dried leaves and flowers can be infused into a hot or cold tea for weekly acne treatment, or three times a week for severe acne.
The tea can also help to treat and prevent many of the conditions mentioned above when drunk once a day. A tea brewed from fresh leaves can also be used as a daily mouthwash to prevent or treat gingivitis. Dried leaves will last for 6 – 12 months in an air-tight container.
Heal- All Tincture
If using a heal-all tincture to manage herpes, immune issues, or tumors, then use vinegar in your tincture to dissolve and extract the polysaccharides and flavonoids. On the other hand, treating insomnia and inflammation requires an alcohol-based tincture to extract the appropriate compounds.
Firmly pack a third of a jar with fresh plant material and fill the remainder with either 40% alcohol or vinegar. Scrunch up a piece of baking paper and stuff it into the top to ensure that the plant material is always submerged in the alcohol/vinegar. Place the jar in the fridge for at least 2 weeks, shaking it every day or two. Strain and store it in the fridge for up to 2 years if everything has been sterilized. Take up to 6 ml of tincture per day; usually 2 ml, three times a day.
Heal-All Infused Oil
Heal-all infused oil uses a low-heat double boiler system to
extract the healing compounds into a carrier oil over a number
of hours (at least 3 hours, but the longer the better).
This infused oil is strained and then combined with beeswax to make a balm. This balm works well for arthritis, cold sores, and other wounds as needed and can be stored for at least 6 months.
Heal-All Essential Oil
Prunella essential oil can be added to creams, balms, or lotions for arthritis and cold sores, or even to oil-infusers for insomnia. The essential oil can be steam distilled out of Prunella but it requires large
amounts of fresh flowers. The shelf-life for essential oil is usually over 2 years but it must be stored in amber glass.
Much of the wisdom written on this page was discovered through reading a fabulous book called The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies written by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D & Claude Davis.