By Gardennia nutii
I’d like to introduce you to a weed whose virtues have been discovered by me this summer: Prunella vulgaris (also known as selfheal, heal-all and heart-of-the-earth). In the past this plant was the source of much angst, but this year I stopped mowing my ever shrinking lawn and the pretty purple flowers of P. v. have been allowed to flourish along with the clover and dandelions. My ‘lawn’ is a sea of blossoms which greet busy bees and provide more color for my yard.
Prunella vulgaris is part of the mint family, so I’d probably be better served ridding my yard of it, but now that I’ve seen the flowers and read about its medicinal properties I’ve become content to focus my weed pulling efforts elsewhere. From Wikipedia: “The whole plant is medicinal as alterative, antibacterial, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, carminative, diuretic, febrifuge, hypotensive, stomachic, styptic, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary. It is taken internally as a medicinal tea in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea, sore mouth and throat, internal bleeding, and weaknesses of the liver and heart.”
Tonight as the sun sets, I’ll sip my ‘heal-all/clover flower’ tea blend, eat my dandelion greens, and revel in my unkempt but savory lawn.
Do you have any weeds you love? Let us know!