Self Heal tincture is an excellent remedy to grab for helping the body heal tissue damage and fight off infection. It can encourage the healing of external wounds like cuts and internal injuries from conditions like IBS. It also helps boost the immune system and fight viruses. It’s easy to make and great to keep on hand!

Self Heal doesn’t get much recognition today, but it was once a highly valued herb.

As the name Self Heal and other common names like Heal All, Woundwort, and Carpenter’s Herb suggest, it was once the go-to herb for cleaning cuts and minor wounds as well as promoting tissue healing and repair. 

Its lesser-known use is to boost the immune system. Self Heal was once a common choice for helping people fight off colds, flu, and other viral infections. 

The great thing about Self Heal is that you can find it nearly anywhere. It frequently grows in lawns and gardens; its purple flower spires poking up through the weeds. This time of year is when you want to harvest your Self Heal. You can preserve the summer flowers and leaves in a tincture and have it on hand throughout the year. 

If you don’t find any Self Heal near you, you can also order seeds. Some folks grow this species as a wildflower, groundcover, or ornamental. Just know that it can get a little weedy and tends to self-seed if you don’t deadhead it.

It can be a great groundcover choice around berry bushes or fruit trees. The beautiful purple flowers are a favorite with bees and beneficial insects, and it can help suppress less desirable weeds.

Self Heal Tincture Uses

Herbalists use self heal tinctures both topically and internally to treat a variety of ailments.  

Topically, self heal tinctures is used for:

• Cleaning Cuts and Minor Wounds
• Promoting Tissue Healing and Repair
• Reducing Inflammation

Internally,  self heal tincture is used to:

• Boost the immune system
• Treat colds, flu, and other viral infections (through immune support)
• Treat internal inflammation, soreness, and infections of the mouth and throat
• Treat internal wounds from IBS, Crohn’s, and Ulcerative Colitis

Additionally, the herb is currently being investigated for its potential:

• Anti-Cancer Properties
• Diabetes Treatment

In these cases, research is ongoing, and more work is needed to establish whether or not the benefits are scientifically significant.

Benefits of Self Heal Tincture

With a name like self heal, it’s unsurprising that this traditional medicine is recognized for its healing abilities all over the world, from the Chinese and Germans to the Iroquois and Cherokee, to heal a wide range of diseases and wounds.  Historically, self heal was taken for a variety of ailments, including fever, wounds, rashes, and gastrointestinal issues—it was also used as an eyewash and to treat hemorrhoids.

Self Heal may be best known for its external use on cuts and wounds. Thankfully, the tincture acts similarly and can help promote healing externally. It also works on internal wounds, such as damage or inflammation in the gut from conditions like IBS, Crohn’s, and Ulcerative Colitis. One study found that Self Heal’s anti-inflammatory activity effectively reduced intestinal inflammation in mice with Colitis.

Additionally, herbalists traditionally used Self Heal to treat inflammation, soreness, and infections in the mouth and throat. Prunella, part of Self Heal’s scientific name, comes from Brunella, which is derived from “die Bräune,” the German word for a type of throat inflammation called quinsy. 

Self Heal’s antiviral properties have also been well-researched. Taken internally, Self Heal Tincture can help the body fight viral infections like colds, flu, and herpes. 

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine also use Self Heal to treat diabetes. It’s still widely used in today’s folk medicine, but it has also been the focus of more modern research. An interesting study found that Self Heal extract significantly reduced and suppressed blood glucose levels in diabetic mice.

Herbalists and doctors have also used Self Heal to help treat and prevent cancer often in combination with modern practices or other herbs. One study gave Self Heal or a placebo to random groups of patients with precancerous lesions of the esophagus. Of the 300 patients receiving Self Heal, 64.4% responded to the treatment, compared with 22.8% in the placebo group.

Research on the medicinal properties of self heal is still in the early stages, but it has recently been the subject of animal studies that look at its effect on glucose levels and gut microbiota. Similarly, there have been several in vitro studies that show this humble weed has possible anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, antioxidant, and anti-viral benefits.

Self Heal tincture dosages often vary depending on the person and ailment. However, herbalists generally recommend 30 to 50 drops (usually one dropper full or about ⅛ of a teaspoon) up to three times daily.

Parts Used for Tincture

Making a Self Heal tincture is easy, but you need to gather the plant at the right time. Self Heal is most potent when in flower. Harvesting your herbs in the morning after the dew has dried but before the day has gotten hot is ideal.

Gather the whole plant, including the stems, leaves, and flowers, for the tincture. Look for plants with flowers that are still fresh and purple. Discard any stems where the flowers have browned. 

Roughly chop your Self Heal into pieces about 1 inch long or less. This will help increase the surface area for the tincture process.

If fresh Self Heal isn’t available to you, you can order dried Self Heal for this tincture. Grinding or crushing your dried Self Heal will help increase the surface area for the tincture.

How to Make Self Heal Tincture

To make a Self Heal tincture, you’ll need the following ingredients and equipment:

• Chopped Fresh Self Heal
• Vodka* (or any other palatable alcohol that’s at least 80 proof/40 percent — there’s no need to splurge here. I always use Smirnoff because it’s inexpensive and has a neutral taste)**
• One-pint mason jar with lid (amber glass is ideal, but as long as you keep the tincture away from light at all times, it won’t make a difference)
• Funnel
• Cheesecloth
• Fine mesh sieve 
• Amber glass tincture bottles (with dropper)

*The Herbal Academy recommends 80-proof alcohol for fresh herbs, but you can use 60-proof if you’re working with dried herbs. 

**Never use isopropyl/rubbing alcohol for tinctures (or any other remedy you plan on ingesting). Even in small amounts, this type of alcohol is toxic and meant for external applications only.

To make the tincture, fill a jar about 3/4 full with fresh Self Heal (or about halfway full with dried Self Heal). 

Cover the chopped Self Heal with vodka or whichever alcohol you’ve chosen so that it’s about 1 inch above the top of the herbs, and seal the jar with its lid.

Place your jar in a cool dark place, but be sure to take it our and give it a gentle shake every few days. Shaking your tincture daily is ideal, but they’re generally very forgiving so every couple of days will do just fine. Ensure the alcohol level remains above the top of the herbs, and add a bit if some has evaporated. 

After about 4 to 6 weeks, it’s time to decant the tincture.

To do this, line a funnel with a few layers of cheesecloth. Carefully strain the tincture into small amber glass dropper bottles. Squeeze your cheesecloth bundle of Self Heal thoroughly to ensure all the liquid is expelled. 

After decanting your tincture, label the tincture bottles with the date and suggested dosages (I use a small piece of masking tape and a marker; it peels off easily when I’m ready to use the bottle for something else).

Self Heal Tincture Dosage

I’d suggest consulting a clinical herbalist for an exact dosage specific to your body and needs.

Generally, herbalists recommend 30 to 50 drops (usually one dropper full or about ⅛ of a teaspoon) up to 3 times daily.

If taking the plain tincture doesn’t work for you, you can also experiment with adding a dropper full to a glass of water, tea, or fruit juice to make it more palatable. 

Self Heal Formulations

Self Heal is often used in combination with other herbs that have antibacterial and immune-boosting properties. To treat colds and flu, taking your Self Heal Tincture with echinacea tincture, astragalus root tincture, or elderberry tincture can help support your immune system. When using Self Heal to treat intestinal issues like IBS, soothing preparations like peppermint, ginger, or chamomile tincture make excellent companions. 

If you’re interested in the science behind combining herbs to enhance their effectiveness, I’d recommend taking this online course in Mastering Herbal Formulations from the Herbal Academy.  It covers the science of blending herbs into homemade formulations in detail.

Yield: Yield Varies, see notes

Self Heal Tincture

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 10 minutes

Infusion Time: 1 month 11 days 14 hours

Total Time: 1 month 11 days 14 hours 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $5 to $6 per batch

A Self-heal tincture is a homemade herbal remedy that's easy to make with just a few ingredients, and it can be used internally or topically to boost the immune system, treat minor wounds, and reduce inflammation. It's called carpenter's herb for a reason!

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Materials

• Fresh or Dried Self Heal Herbal Material
• Neutral Spirit (such as vodka)*

Tools

• Pint mason jar (or any other jar with a tight-fitting lid)
• Funnel
• Cheesecloth (or fine mesh strainer)
• Dark amber dropper bottles
• Adhesive label or masking tape (for labelling tincture)

Instructions

1. Fill a clean, empty mason jar 3/4 full of fresh Self Heal, or 1/2 full of dried Self Heal. (Dried Self Heal is often available from herbal supply shops.)
2. Cover the fresh or dried Self Heal with alcohol, making sure the contents of the jar are completely covered.
3. Screw the lid on tightly and gently shake the contents of the jar. Place in a cool, dry location away from light, allowing the extraction to occur over the next 6 to 8 weeks.
4. Give the contents of the jar a gentle shake every couple of days.
5. Keep an eye on the alcohol level, adding more alcohol to cover the plant material if needed.
6. Once the tincture is ready to be decanted, line a funnel with cheesecloth and place the tip of the funnel into the neck of a dark amber glass bottle. Pour the solvent and the Self Heal into the cheesecloth-lined funnel, pressing to make sure all of the liquid makes it into the bottle.
7. Label the tincture with its contents, date of production, recommended dosages, and suggested usages. Store in a cool, dry area away from light.

Notes

*Tinctures are usually made with vodka as a neutral spirit, but you can also use brandy, whisky, or any other high-proof alcohol. Finished tinctures need to be at least 25% alcohol for preservation, and fresh herbs contribute some moisture to the mix. Be sure you use something that's 60-proof or higher.

Never use denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol to make tinctures, as it's unsafe for consumption.

To make an alcohol-free glycerite tincture (glycerite): cover dried plant material completely with a preparation of 3 parts glycerin to 1 part distilled water (instead of alcohol). Dried Self Heal is available from herbal supply stores, and is often used in place of fresh. If using fresh Self Heal, use all glycerine and skip the water. As the glycerite tincture develops, it will need to be shaken every day. Proceed following the same directions as if making an alcohol-based tincture. 

Yield

The yield varies, but if you're using fresh plant material, you should expect to pull out ever so slightly more tincture than the vodka you add. If using dried plant material, the dried herbs will absorb some and you'll get slightly less than the alcohol added. The amount of vodka will vary based on how tightly you pack the jar, but you should need about 2-3 cups of vodka for a quart jar or about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of vodka per pint. Be sure the plant material remains submerged during infusion.

Disclaimer on Homemade Herbal Remedies

I’ve been foraging wild medicines and treating my family with herbal remedies for the past 20 years, but I’m self-taught.  Be aware that I am not a clinical herbalist, and this is based on my own research and personal experience using medicinal plants.  I do not claim to have the experience that’d qualify me to advise you on your health, and I’m only providing this as a reference to encourage a broader interest in medicinal plants. 

Please use this as a jumping-off point, but always do your own research and verify anything you read with multiple sources.

It’s always possible to have an adverse reaction to any medicinal herb, and plenty of people are allergic to even gentle herbs like chamomile.  Always consult your doctor or a certified herbalist before trying any new medicinal plant.  Often, they can have unintended reactions in combination with other herbs and supplements, and many herbs have side effects even when they are effective for their intended purpose.

If you are seriously interested in herbal medicine, I’d suggest investing in a course in herbal medicine, and I’d recommend any of the online courses put out by the Herbal Academy of New England.  Specifically, the introduction to herbal medicine course and the family herbalist group of courses. 

They also have a mushroom course, covering both medicinal and edible mushrooms, and a Botany and Wildcrafting Course.  I’ve taken both and they’re informative, inspiring, and artfully presented.

Herbal Tinctures

Interested in making other homemade herbal tinctures?

• Yarrow Tincture
• Chickweed Tincture
• Elderberry Tincture
• Dandelion Tincture
• Burdock Tincture
• Echinacea Tincture

Herbal Medicine Making

Herbal medicines don’t stop at tinctures!  Learn how to make more homemade medicine…

• How to Make a Herbal Salve
• How to Make a Herbal Infused Oil
• How to Make Fire Cider