Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris): The Korean Honey Plant I Dry for Tea
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Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), called kkulpul in Korea, blooming with small purple flower spikes in Washington State. |
Some wild plants are so common that I almost forget how special they are.
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is one of those plants for me.
Here in Washington State, I often see its small purple flower spikes growing quietly in grassy places, along moist edges, and in open areas. It is not a flashy plant at first glance. It stays low, blooms close to the ground, and can be easy to walk past.
But in Korea, this plant carries a much deeper story.
In Korea, self-heal is called kkulpul, which means “honey plant” or “honey grass.” People say it got this name because a sweet, honey-like nectar can be tasted from the flower. It belongs to the mint family, and like many mint-family plants, it has a square stem.
Most of the self-heal flowers I see are purple, but sometimes white flowers can appear too.
A Common Plant with a Surprising Korean Herbal Reputation
I was honestly surprised when I learned that this humble little plant is so well known in Korean herbal tradition.
In Korean folk and herbal discussions, self-heal is often mentioned as one of the well-known herbs associated with the phrase “five anti-cancer herbs,” along with elm, mistletoe, cudrang, and rock pine. The medicinal name for self-heal in Korean herbal tradition is hagocho, which refers to the way the flower spikes dry down in summer.
But I want to pause here carefully.
Traditional use does not mean that this plant cures, prevents, or treats cancer. If someone is dealing with cancer or any serious medical condition, using herbs for treatment purposes should always be discussed with a medical professional.
Folk remedies may be meaningful, and traditional plant knowledge is part of our culture, but each person’s health condition, medications, surgery plans, and body constitution are different.
That matters more than anything.
When I Harvest Self-Heal for Tea
For tea, I like to harvest self-heal when the purple flowers are about halfway faded and the flower spikes are just beginning to show a little brown color.
That is the stage I personally like best.
I cut the flowering tops, dry them well, and often mix them with other flower teas. When I make tea, I usually add plenty of water and simmer it gently. I keep drinking it over two or three days until the flavor becomes very mild, almost like there is no taste left.
Even after drying it well, I like to store my dried self-heal in a zipper bag in the freezer. That way, I can take out a small amount whenever I want to make tea.
It is simple, quiet, and comforting.
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| Self-heal flower spikes harvested when the purple flowers begin to fade and the spikes start turning slightly brown, then dried for tea. |
A Small Gift for Someone Going Through a Hard Time
Yesterday, I met a friend and her husband who have been going through many health struggles.
Her husband is facing surgery for cancer, and they are hoping to eat more natural foods as part of taking care of themselves.
So today, when I saw self-heal blooming, I picked some to dry and give to them as tea.
Not as medicine.
Not as a cure.
Just as a small, gentle gift from my heart.
Sometimes when people we care about are suffering, we want to do something, even if that “something” is very small. A bag of dried flowers. A warm cup of tea. A quiet reminder that someone is thinking of them.
I often think how wonderful it would be if there were a world where nobody had to be sick.
As I get older, I feel this more and more. My husband and I both have our own health struggles, and I see how many people around us are carrying something—pain, illness, worry, or the fatigue that comes with age.
Maybe that is one reason I feel so connected to wild plants.
They do not fix everything.
But they remind me to slow down, pay attention, and care for the people around me.
Eating the Young Leaves as Korean-Style Namul
Self-heal is also an edible wild plant.
The young leaves and tender shoots can be eaten as greens. Some people eat them raw, but I personally do not recommend eating wild plants raw. Even with edible plants, I feel more comfortable blanching them first.
The flavor of young self-heal leaves is very mild. To me, it is almost plain.
That is why I like to prepare it Korean-style.
I blanch the young leaves briefly, squeeze out the water, and season them with a little soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Because the flavor is gentle, it works well as a simple namul side dish.
What About the Flowers?
Some people also use the flowers in food.
I have heard of people battering and frying the flower spikes. That made me curious because one of my YouTube subscribers once recommended that I try cooking dandelion flowers. I stir-fried them, and they were actually pretty good.
So now I am thinking maybe someday I should try self-heal flowers too.
Maybe fried.
Maybe stir-fried.
That may become another Wild Harvest Life experiment one day.
My Personal Safety Note
Even though self-heal is widely known as an edible and traditionally used plant, I still treat it with respect.
I do not like to eat wild plants raw.
I prefer to cook them, blanch them, dry them properly, or make tea from them. Also, because self-heal is traditionally described as having a cooling nature, people who are very cold-bodied, have weak digestion, or often have diarrhea should be careful with overuse.
And again, anyone dealing with cancer, surgery, pregnancy, medications, blood pressure issues, liver or kidney conditions, or any serious illness should talk with a medical professional before using herbs in a concentrated way.
Wild plants can be beautiful.
Traditional knowledge can be meaningful.
But safety comes first.
⚠️ Foraging Safety: Never eat any wild plant unless you are 100% certain of its identification. Avoid harvesting near roads, heavy traffic, sprayed areas, polluted locations, or anywhere contamination may be present. Harvest only from clean environments. If harvesting is not on private property, always check and follow local harvesting rules and regulations.
Join Me on YouTube
If you enjoy wild edible plants, mushrooms, fish, oysters, clams, Korean-style cooking, and seasonal foraging and wild harvest adventures in the Pacific Northwest, I would love to have you join me on my YouTube channel.
Watch the Self-Heal Young Shoots and Flowers
The young shoots are easier to understand when you see them in video, so I will show that part through my YouTube Shorts instead of adding another photo here.
You May Also Enjoy
If you enjoyed this story about self-heal, you may also enjoy reading about another small wild plant I sometimes taste on the trail:
🌿 Read next: Wood Sorrel – A Sour Wild Plant I Only Eat in Tiny Amounts
Thank you for visiting Wild Harvest Life PNW.
I hope this little story encourages you to slow down, look closely at the small wild plants around you, and notice the quiet memories they can bring back.
After all, sometimes the greatest treasures are not only the things we harvest.
They are the memories they quietly bring back.
Stay tuned for more Wild Harvest Life adventures! 🌿
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