Folk Medicine
Latin name: Prunella herba3
Usable parts: Entire herb3
Harvest period: June to September
Constituents: Triterpenes, tannins, lignins, rosmarinic acid and vitamins B,C,K3
Action: Lowers blood pressure, supports the liver, behaves as an antibiotic.3
Application: The brownwort is mainly taken as a herbal tea to soothe sore throats and pharyngeal pain. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, as a mouthwash it also helps reduce gum inflammation. Its antiviral effect should also be kept in mind, and studies have shown that it can be used to combat herpes viruses.3
Risk of misidentification: As the only species in its family known for its medicinal properties, brownwort is easy to distinguish. While the flowers of the Prunella laciniata are white, the Prunella grandiflora are much larger.
Tips for Domestic Cultivation
The brownwort doesn’t have any special habitat requirements and can be grown domestically. A wild plant can easily be transferred and replanted in a home garden setting. After seeding, multiplies on its own.
Home Use /Recipe Idea
Tincture to soothe a sore throat
Obtain two wide-neck screw-top glass jars. Stuff one of the glass jars 2/3 full of fresh brown alder blossoms and pour 40% proof alcohol over them. Stuff the other jar 2/3 with Icelandic moss and pour 80 – 90% proof alcohol over it. Seal both jars and leave to stand for about 4 – 5 weeks. At the end of this period, filter and combine the strained liquids obtained from both jars. Use as a tea, or as a cough syrup.
3 “Die Kräuter in meinem Garten” by Siegrid Hirsch & Felix Grünberger; 22nd Edition; Freya Verlag Gmbh
10 “Was blüht denn da?” by Margot Spohn, 2015, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & co. KG
15 “Flora Helvetica–Illustrierte Flora der Schweiz” by Konrad Lauber, Gerhart Wagner, Andreas Gygax; 6th Edition, Haupt Verlag