Heather is a particularly good antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract and mildly increasing urine production. The plant was macerated and made into a liniment for treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout, whilst a hot poultice was a traditional remedy for chilblains. An infusion of the flowering shoots was used in the treatment of coughs, colds, bladder and kidney disorders.
A tea can be made from the flowering stems. A kind of mead was once brewed from the flowers and the young shoots have been used instead of hops to flavour beer and to make wine. The nectar produces a thicker honey than the other heather species.
The branches have (or have had) many uses, including, thatching, as a foundation in wattle-&-daub walls, as a bedding or a stuffing for mattresses, for insulation, basketry, rope making, floor matting and for making brooms. After the second world war and as a result of a timber shortage, a factory was set up near Glasgow to make floor tiles out of compressed heather stems. The rootstock can be made into musical pipes and carved into knife handles. A yellow-orange dye is obtained from the flowering tops.