Grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, New Zealand. Free of pesticides, herbicides and other agrochemicals.
You will get 3 dormant plants with growing tips (see image below).
Health Benefits of Woundwort*
This plant has a long history of use in herbalism, and as the common name implies it was regarded as very good for dressing cuts and other wounds. The herbalist Nicholas Culpeper said that it was ‘inferior to none’ as a treatment for injuries, and in the seventeenth century John Gerard held the plant in very high esteem, and used it extensively. Woundwort is reputed to cure aching joints when made into an ointment and to have antispasmodic and sedative properties when taken internally. A tea made from the flowers 'is used to make the heart merry, to make a good colour in the face, and to make the vital spirits more fresh and lively.'
The leaves and flowers make great additions to salads.
Honeybees and bumblebees also like to visit the flowers of Woundwort.
Growing Conditions
Woundwort prefers to grow in rich, moist soil in partial shade or full sun with ample amount of compost added before planting. Choose a suitable area and add compost and mulch ideally in autumn before winter planting. It forms a tall ground cover and may be invasive in damp areas. It can also be contained in a pot.
Growing Instructions
You will get 3 dormant plants with growing shoots. Best to plant in loose, loamy soil in a sheltered, shady or sunny position with irrigation over the summer period. Scrape away 3cm of soil and lay the roots in horizontally as in the below picture. Any growing tips should face up. If you are unable to plant them straight away or your soil is frozen solid in winter then put them in a pot with moist, rich potting mix and plant them out in spring. Follow the same instructions as below and do not bury them too deeply.
Then cover them up with 3 -5 cm of soil and lightly mulch with woodchips, straw or autumn leaves. Mark the spot and either add branches over the area or cover with bird netting to prevent birds from digging around and disturbing the plants. They will emerge between September and November depending on your climate and the warmth of the soil.
This plant will make a carpet of live roots within a couple of years. Highly prolific, easy to grow and abundant.
Harvesting
Woundwort is best harvested during the early stages of flowering. We harvest woundwort in the early hours of the day before the mid day heat has set in. This keeps their quality. To harvest cut the plants using a field knife or secateurs leaving about 20 cm for the plants to recover. Cutting too low may trigger the plant into dormancy and suffer from having too much of their mass harvested. They will branch out from the highest leave node and a second cut later in the season is generally possible. Take care when cutting the plants to not damage or upset the root system especially in the first season.
Processing and Drying
Lay the stems and leaves out in a single row on a drying tray and dry them at 33-35 degrees C out of direct light with good airflow. We dry it on our lower trays where it is a bit cooler. It dries beautifully with little effort in 1-3 days in good conditions. Once the leaves have lost most of their moisture we increase the temperature to no more than 37 degrees C to get them crunchy dry. To process strip the leaves and flowers off the stems and store in paper bags in a dry place. They should be crunchy and fully dry before storage or infusing into oil.
Herbal Preparation*
The leaves and flowers of woundwort can be used in teas, salves and ointments.
*This information is for educational purposes only. Please do not self-treat disease using herbs alone. Always consult with a qualified and registered herbalist.
