Selfheal

Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
 
Selfheal.

  Selfheal
Harilik käbihein
 Prunella vulgaris    
 
A well known plant because of its characteristic appearance. It is low-growing but tenacious. It can be found on forest roads overgrown with grass, in garden lawns, hayfields and seashore grasslands. Selfheal originally grew in seashore meadows but these become ever fewer.
 
Its Estonian name, käbihein, means “cone grass”. In old times another name for selfheal was "põldhumal", “field hops”, because its dried fruit spikes looked very much like hop cones.

It is neither a relative of hops nor has it any similar flavouring properties; the folk name was given because of the similarity in looks.



 

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