PlantFiles: Betony, Wood Betony, Lousewort, Bishopswort
Stachys officinalis

Discovery of this plant is a gift of life. More than 40 healing properties, used like a 'Panacea' in middle age.

If you like tea, you can add 1 teaspoon of Betony crushed dry leaves + 1 teaspoon of your favorite indian tea.
Like this, you can avoid health problems with ease.
It have a calming effect for me.

I never try with coffee, but why not?

Taste of Betony dry leaves is slightly bitter, with a strange flavor of dry soup powder! but it's ok... very drinkable ;-)

Seeds can be collected also before the seed pods become brown, i just collected brown ready seeds starting to fall today, the plant still green, this 19 August. I will do the same when the 'branches' become brown, later...Sorry my english (i speak french)

Great plant, underused. Cut the whole plant back after flowering and shortly thereafter fresh foliage will emerge and persist, nearly evergreen, through the winter. Occasionally lost to crown rot but divides easily and self seeds very gently. Lavender, white, and an in-between shade of very light pink have emerged in my garden.

Almost leafless stems of Betony arise from a basal tuft of long-stalked leaves, and each bears a fairly compact, cylindrical head of reddish-purple flowers at the tip. To Betony was attributed many properties, both medicinal and magical, and it was used in herbal teas and herbal tabacco.