self-heal

Dictionary: self-heal

(sĕlf'hēl')
n.
Any of several plants reputed to have healing powers, especially Prunella vulgaris, a creeping Eurasian plant with deep violet-blue, two-lipped flowers. Also called heal-all.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: self-heal

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Perennial weed (Prunella vulgaris) in the mint family, native to North America and widespread throughout the continent. Growing 6 – 14 in. (14 – 36 cm) tall, self-heal is often a low weed in lawns. The often-prostrate branches root readily wherever they touch soil. Tiny, two-lipped, lilac-coloured or white flowers are clustered into noticeable dense, spikes. Leaves have sparsely toothed or smooth margins. Regarded in medieval times as a cure-all, the dried leaves and flowers are still brewed for soothing sore throats.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: self-heal

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self-heal or heal-all, weedy perennial (Prunella vulgaris) with the typical angular stems and bluish flowers of the family Labiatae (mint family). Although it probably originated in the Old World, self-heal is now distributed throughout temperate climates and is a common plant of North American pastures and open woods. It was formerly used as a domestic remedy for sore throats and other minor ailments. Prunella is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.

WordNet: heal all

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: decumbent blue-flowered European perennial thought to possess healing properties; naturalized throughout North America
Synonyms: self-heal, Prunella vulgaris

Meaning #2: common woodland herb of temperate North America having yellow nodding flowers and small round blue fruits
Synonyms: yellow clintonia, Clintonia borealis

Learn More

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	White, William Hale (Quotes By)
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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more