Viper’s Bugloss – May perk more than your spirits up!

Another plant with the name bugloss, this one is Viper’s Bugloss, Echium vulgare, also called Blue Weed – which is a little confusing as its main purpose used to be as a red dye! It’s one of the best bee plants, and should be part of any garden designed to attract wildlife. It’s in the same family as both Borage (“Common bugloss”) and Alkanet (“Dyer’s Bugloss”), but not closely related. The name viper’s bugloss came from its use in the past as a treatment for (and prevention of) snake bites.

Viper’s bugloss is a hardy biennial or short-lived perennial which grows wild on chalk throughout Europe and Western Asia. It is perfectly happy on any type of soil, even poor soil, so long as there is good drainage. According to Homer, Helen of Troy gave viper’s bugloss (called nepenthe by the Greeks) to guests at a dinner party. As the plant is an aphrodisiac, I wonder exactly what she had in mind.

Do not handle this plant without gloves, as the hairs on the leaves and stems can cause severe dermatitis. This herb is not suitable for internal use by pregnant women.

Make a standard infusion using an 30g (1 ounce) of dried or 3 handfuls of fresh chopped leaves and flowering stems to 570ml (2¼ US cups, 1 UK pint) of boiling water. Leave to brew for between 10 minutes and 3 hours (the longer it brews, the longer it will keep in the fridge – up to 4 days for a 3 hour brewing). Strain and use immediately or transfer to a dark glass bottle or other container (not made of plastic) and put into the fridge. This can be used to treat lung disorders and relieve coughing, as a diuretic and to promote sweating. It can also be used cool as a lotion to soothe irritated skin.

A poultice made from freshly chopped leaves and flowering stems held in place with a bandage or by thickening a standard infusion whilst still hot with cornflour to make a paste and spread onto a bandage, can be used to treat wounds, boils and other skin eruptions.

As with all herbs used for medicinal purposes, viper’s bugloss must be grown organically so as to ensure that its properties are not adversely affected. To find out more about growing organic viper’s bugloss visit the Gardenzone.

Related Posts

1. Alkanet
2. Holy Basil
3. Sea Holly

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.