Selfheal is edible, and can be used in salads, soups, stews, and boiled as a pot herb. The plant contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as flavonoids. The plant’s chemical constituents include betulinic acid, D-camphor, D-fenchone, cyanidin, delphinidin, hyperoside, manganese, lauric acid, oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid, myristic acid, rutin, linoleic acid, ursolic acid, beta-sitosterol, lupeol, and tannins.

Topically, a poultice of the plant is applied to irritated skin, as a disinfecting agent and to pack wounds in the absence of other wound-care material. It is considered by the Chinese to “change the course of a chronic disease”.

Selfheal