A Year in the Valley

I have noticed some of the watermeadow wildflowers growing in our lawn.  Selfheal is one of those.  It prefers short grass, verges, or the edges of woodland.  I noticed it first among the long grass alongside the pathways – and I have now seen the flowers in scrubby patches on our lawn.  Looking like a kind of elongated clover, it’s one of those flowers that have always been there, but unnoticed.  Yet as the name suggests it has a long tradition as a herbal remedy, particularly in native American medicine.  It was used for digestive conditions, healing wounds and burns, and reducing fever.  In fact, it is also called Heal-all.