Common names include hedgenettle,[6] heal-all, self-heal, woundwort, betony, and lamb's ears.

[7] The name is derived from the Greek word σταχυς (stachys), meaning "an ear of grain",[8] and refers to the fact that the inflorescence is often a spike.

They are also widely used by the European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum), which scrape the hairs from the plant in order to use them for building their nests.

The corolla is 5-lobed with the top lobe forming a 'hood', varying from white to pink, purple, red or pale yellow.

In 2002, a molecular phylogenetic study showed that Stachys officinalis is not closely related to the rest of the genus.