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    Home»Herbs and Spices»Traditional uses and benefits of Viper’s Bugloss – Echium vulgare
    Herbs and Spices

    Traditional uses and benefits of Viper’s Bugloss – Echium vulgare

    By SylviaSeptember 25, 2020Updated:September 27, 2020No Comments12 Mins Read
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    Viper’s Bugloss (Blueweed) Quick Facts
    Name: Viper’s Bugloss (Blueweed)
    Scientific Name: Echium vulgare
    Origin Europe and western and central Asia and it occurs as an introduced species in north-eastern North America
    Colors Brown or gray
    Shapes Cluster of four seeds (i.e. nutlets or mericarps) that are enclosed by five bristly bracts
    Health benefits Beneficial for fevers, headaches, chest conditions, whitlows, boils, snake or viper bites, cracked hands and heal wounds
    Echium vulgare which is known as viper’s bugloss and blueweed is a species of flowering plant in the borage family of Boraginaceae. The plant is native to Europe (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, UK, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, western Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Portugal and Spain), western Asia (i.e. Cyprus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and western China where it is most commonly found in pastures, fields, disturbed sites, waste places and roadsides. Its reputation among gardeners runs the gamut from an aggressive weed to attractive wildflower.

    Blueweed, Blue echium, Blue thistle, Blue-devil, Common echium, Common viper’s bugloss, Common vipersbugloss, Viper’s-bugloss, Vipers bugloss, Blue devil are few of the popular common names of the plant. Echium is the Greek name for this plant. It is derived from echis which means viper in reference to the nutlet shape which resembles the head of a viper and the ancient medicinal use of the plant root as a treatment for snakebite. Specific epithet means common. Plants were once used as a treatment for snake/viper bites. Plant nutlets are reported to resemble snake/viper heads.

    Viper’s Bugloss Facts

    Name Viper’s Bugloss
    Scientific Name Echium vulgare
    Native Most of Europe and western and central Asia, and it occurs as an introduced species in north-eastern North America
    Common Names Blueweed, Blue echium, Blue thistle, Blue-devil, Common echium, Common viper’s bugloss, Common vipersbugloss, Viper’s-bugloss, Vipers bugloss, Blue devil
    Name in Other Languages Afrikaans: Blueweed, Blou-echium
    Albanian: Blueweed, Ushqerza e rëndomtë, ushqerëz
    Amharic: Semayawī (ሰማያዊ)
    Arabic: bulyud (بلوويد), akhiun (أخيون)
    Armenian: Kapuyt (կապույտ), Izhakhot sovorakan (Իժախոտ սովորական)
    Azerbaijani: Göyərti
    Basque: Sugegorri-belar
    Belarusian: Siniak zvyčajny (Сіняк звычайны), Siniakviet zvyčajny (Сіняквет звычайны), kuchi ezik obiknoven (кучи език обикновен), obiknoveno usoĭniche (обикновено усойниче)
    Bengali: Blueweed
    Bulgarian: Blueweed, Obiknoveno usoĭniche (Обикновено усойниче)
    Burmese: Hkyitsuu (ချစ်သူ)
    Catalan: Bolenga borda, Borratja borda, Cul de porc, Herba viborera, Viperina, llengua de bou, herba del vibre, llengua de bou vulgar
    Chinese: Lán cǎo (蓝草), Lan Ji (蓝蓟)
    Corsican: Viparina turchina
    Croatian: Blueweed, obična lisičina
    Czech: Blueweed, Hadinec obecný
    Danish: Blueweed, Almindelig slangehoved, Læge-Kvæsurt, Slangehoved
    Dutch: Blauwkruid, Slangenkruid, gewoon slangekruid
    English: Blueweed, Blue echium, Blue thistle, Blue-devil, Common echium, Common viper’s bugloss, Common vipersbugloss, Viper’s-bugloss, Vipers bugloss, Blue devil
    Esperanto: Blueweed
    Estonian: Sinikas, Harilik ussikeel, Ussikeel
    Filipino: Blueweed
    Finnish: Blueweed, Punaluppio, Kyläneidonkieli, neidonkieli
    French: Blueweed, Vipérine commune, Vipérine, Vipérine vulgaire, bouquet bleu, herbe aux vipers, herbe bleue, herbe piquante, langue d’oie, Vipérine vulgaire , buglosse sauvage
    Georgian: Blueweed, lurji dzirts’itela (ლურჯი ძირწითელა)
    German: Blueweed, Gemeiner Natterkopf, Gewöhnlicher Natterkopf, Gewöhnlicher Natternkopf, buglosse sauvage,
    Greek: Ble (μπλε )
    Gujarati: Bluviḍa (બ્લુવિડ)
    Hausa: Blueweed
    Hebrew:  כחול-כחול
    Hindi: Blueweed
    Hungarian: Blueweed, Kígyószisz, terjőke kígyószisz, közönséges kígyószisz
    Icelandic: Bláleitur
    Indonesian: Blueweed
    Irish: Blueweed, Lus nathrach
    Italian: Blueweed, Erba viperina, Viperina azzurra, echio commune, erba delle vipere, erba rogna, lingua di bove, viperina azzurra, viperina commune,
    Japanese: Burūu~īdo (ブルーウィード), Shibenagamurasaki (シベナガムラサキ)
    Javanese: Blueweed
    Kannada: Blūvīḍ (ಬ್ಲೂವೀಡ್)
    Kashubian: Zwëczajny mòdrzińc
    Kazakh: Kökşil (көкшіл)
    Korean: Haecho (해초)
    Kurdish: Blueweed
    Lao: Khi ai (ຂີ້ອາຍ)
    Latin: Blueweed
    Latvian: Zilganzaļa, parastais daglītis
    Lithuanian: Mėlynė, Paprastasis ežeinis
    Macedonian: Sino (сино), Volchǰa opashka (Волчја опашка)
    Malagasy: Blueweed
    Malay: Blueweed
    Malayalam: Blūvīḍ (ബ്ലൂവീഡ്)
    Maltese: Blu
    Marathi: Bloo veed (ब्लूवीड)
    Mongolian: Khökhrökh (хөхрөх)
    Nepali: Nilōvīḍa (निलोवीड)
    Norwegian: Blueweed, Blodtopp, Ulvegab, Vargflab, Ormehode, Ormehovud
    Occitan: Bourrage-fèr, Suçamèlo
    Oriya: ବ୍ଲୁୱିଡ୍
    Ossetian: Uox (Уохъ)
    Pashto: نیليویډ
    Persian: Blueweed, گل افعی رسمی
    Polish: Blueweed, Żmijowiec zwyczajny
    Portuguese: Blueweed, Colubrina, Suajos, erva-viperina, viperina, Borrago, Erva-azul, lingua-de-boi, soagem, viboreira,
    Punjabi: Nīlā (ਨੀਲਾ)
    Quechua: Llunku-llunku
    Romanian: Larba albastră, Iarba şarpelui, Iarba șarpelui, iarba-şearpelui
    Russian: Blueweed-ˈblo͞owēd, Sinyak obyknovennyy (Синяк обыкновенный)
    Serbian: Blueveed (блуевеед), lisichina (лисичина), obichna lisichina (обична лисичина)
    Sindhi: بليو ويڊ
    Sinhala: Blūvīḍ (බ්ලූවීඩ්)
    Slovak: Hadinec obyčajný
    Slovenian: Blueweed, navadni gadovec
    Spanish: Blueweed, Viborera, abalea, boninos, buglosa salvaje, buglosa, cardo, chupamiel, chupamieles, hierba azul, hierba de la víbora, hierba viborera, culebrera, hierba cerruda, lengua de gato, melera, viborera morada, viperina, manasa, ortiguilla, paraque tequiero
    Sundanese: Blueweed
    Swedish: Blueweed, Blodtopp, Gråpimpinell, Prunkhallon, Blåeld, Kyläneidonkieli, Blåtistel, Rävarompa, Rävasvans
    Tajik: Kaʙud (кабуд)
    Tamil: Puḷūvīṭ (புளூவீட்)
    Telugu: Blueweed-ˈblo͞owēd
    Thai: Blueweed-ˈblo͞owēd
    Turkish: Blueweed, Adi engerek out, engerek otu
    Ukranian: Blyuvotka (блювотка), Synyak zvychaynyy (Синяк звичайний)
    Upper Sorbian: Módry kosmač, Wšědna hrimanka
    Urdu: بلیو ویڈ
    Uzbek: Ko’katlar
    Vietnamese: Xanh
    Welsh: Blueweed, Gwiberlys
    Zulu: Oluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka
    Plant Growth Habit Upright, relatively long-lived biennial or monocarpic perennial  herbaceous plant
    Growing Climates Roadsides, open waste and disturbed land, stony riverbeds, cliffs near the sea,  on walls, old quarries, gravel pits, calcareous grassland and heaths, bare and waste places, railways, coastal cliffs, sand dunes and shingle, pastures, waterways, overgrazed pastures, gravel bars, moist upland forests
    Soil Often found in alkaline soils with a dolomite or limestone base material, although it can also be found in areas with more acidic soils. While blueweed exhibits a preference for sandy, well-drained soils, it does not do well in very arid regions
    Plant Size 30-60 cm tall, but occasionally reaching up to 1.2 m in height
    Root Significant rooting system comprised of a taproot and smaller fibrous roots. The taproot is black with a reddish cast, ranging in length from 12 to 32 inches (30.5 to 81cm)
    Stem Several upright stems is covered in coarse hairs (sometimes red at the base) and finer shorter hairs that arise from the base of the plant. These hairs can cause skin irritation if touched.
    Leaf Rosette leaves are long and narrow (5-15 cm long, 8-15 mm wide) but become shorter and narrower moving up the stem
    Flowering season July to October
    Flower Trumpet-shaped flowers, up to 12-15 mm long, are deep-blue. Each flower has five stamens, four of which protrude out of the flower tube whereas the fifth is included inside
    Fruit Shape & Size Cluster of four seeds (i.e. nutlets or mericarps) that are enclosed by five bristly bracts
    Fruit Color Greyish-brown
    Propagation By Seed
    Plant Parts Used Leaves, flowers, roots
    Seed Pale brown, 2-3.5 mm long and rough on the outside. Up to four seeds are produced from each flower
    Season August to October

    Plant Description

    Viper’s Bugloss (Blueweed) is an upright, relatively long-lived biennial or monocarpic perennial herbaceous plant that normally grows about 30-60 cm tall, but occasionally reaching up to 1.2 m in height. The plant is found growing in roadsides, open waste and disturbed land, stony riverbeds, cliffs near the sea,  on walls, old quarries, gravel pits, calcareous grassland and heaths, bare and waste places, railways, coastal cliffs, sand dunes and shingle, pastures, waterways, overgrazed pastures, gravel bars, moist upland forests. The plant is often found in alkaline soils with a dolomite or limestone base material, although it can also be found in areas with more acidic soils. While blueweed displays a preference for sandy, well-drained soils, it does not do well in very arid regions. The plant has significant rooting system comprised of a taproot and smaller fibrous roots. Taproot is black with a reddish cast, ranging in length from 12 to 32 inches (30.5 to 81 cm).

    Stem

    The upright and usually unbranched stems arise from a basal rosette of leaves. They are covered in short, stiff hairs and grow 30 – 80 cm tall.  These stems are green in color and covered in stiff hairs or bristles. They generally have conspicuous dark flecks at the bases of some hairs. There may be one to several stems per plant.

    Leaves

    Plant consists of a low rosette of basal leaves spanning up to 1½ feet across, but during the final year one or more erect to ascending stems are produced that become 1–3¼ feet tall. Basal leaves are 3-9 inches long and ½–1¾ inches across. They are oblanceolate-oblong, oblanceolate-elliptic, or oblong-elliptic in shape, while their margins are entire, ciliate with stiff bristly hairs, and sometimes undulate (wavy up-and-down). Each central stem is pale grayish green, terete, and densely covered with stiff bristly hairs that have swollen purplish bases. Abundant alternate leaves occur along each stem, becoming gradually smaller as they ascend. These leaves are 1½–8 inches long, ¼–1½ inches across, and sessile. They are lanceolate-elliptic, lanceolate-oblong, or oblong-elliptic in shape, while their margins are entire, ciliate with stiff bristly hairs, and sometimes undulate (wavy up-and-down). The upper and lower surfaces of both basal and alternate leaves are yellowish green or grayish green, and they are covered with stiff bristly hairs that sometimes have swollen white bases. Both basal and alternate leaves have prominent central veins. All leaves are hairy on both surfaces.

    Viper’s Bugloss Image Gallery
    Closer-view-of-flower-of-Vipers-Bugloss Closer-view-of-flower-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Closer-view-of-seeds-of-Vipers-Bugloss Closer-view-of-seeds-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Flowers-of-Vipers-Bugloss Flowers-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Leaves-of-Vipers-Bugloss Leaves-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Plant-Illustration-of-Vipers-Bugloss Plant-Illustration-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Sketch-of-Vipers-Bugloss Sketch-of-Vipers-Bugloss
    Small-Vipers-Bugloss-plant Small-Vipers-Bugloss-plant
    Vipers-Bugloss-Plant Vipers-Bugloss-Plant
    Vipers-Bugloss-plant-Growing-wild Vipers-Bugloss-plant-Growing-wild

    Flowers

    Stems terminate in inflorescences that are ½–2 feet long. They consist of spike-like racemes of short scorpioid cymes. The cymes are incurled like a scorpion’s tail, and they contain up to 20 flowers each. The sessile flowers are arranged along only one side of the cyme. Each flower is about ¾ inches across and 1 inch long, consisting of a deep blue or blue-violet corolla with 5 shallow lobes, 5 grayish green sepals, 5 stamens with reddish purple filaments, a slender white style with a divided tip, and a 4-lobed ovary. The large corolla is campanulate (bell-shaped), but longer above than below. The sepals are grayish green, linear-oblong in shape, and covered with stiff bristly hairs. Both the stamens and style are strongly exserted from the corolla. At the base of each cyme, there is a linear-lanceolate leafy bract up to 1 inch long that is grayish green and covered with stiff bristly hairs. The central stalk of the inflorescence has the same characteristics as the central stem. The blooming period occurs during the summer and early autumn, lasting 1-3 months. The plant is an insect attracting plant, including various bees, bumblebees and butterflies

    Fruits

    Fertile flowers are followed by a cluster of four seeds (i.e. nutlets or mericarps) that are enclosed by five bristly bracts (i.e. the persistent sepals). Seeds are 0.8-0.12 in. (2-3 mm) long and are greyish-brown in color woody, three-angled, and roughly textured (i.e. strongly wrinkled and pitted). The surface of the seed is rough and very hard. They are spread by the wind or humans and animals.

    Traditional uses and benefits of Viper’s Bugloss (Blueweed)

    • Eating the leaves is said to stimulate sexual desire.
    • Viper’s bugloss was once considered to be a preventative and remedy for viper bites.
    • Leaves and flowering stems are antitussive, aphrodisiac, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, pectoral and vulnerary.
    • An infusion of the plant is taken internally as a diuretic and in the treatment of fevers, headaches, chest conditions etc.
    • Juice of the plant is an effective emollient for reddened and delicate skins; it is used as a poultice or plaster to treat boils and carbuncles.
    • Roots contain the healing agent allantoin.
    • The plant is said to be efficacious in the treatment of snake bites.
    • When chopped up finely, the fresh flowering heads can be made into a poultice for treating whitlows and boils.
    • Plant root was used in ancient times as a treatment for snake or viper bites.
    • Seeds are also thought to resemble snake heads, thus specifying it as a cure for the bites of serpents.
    • In poultices, the fresh leaves and flowers are apparently useful for getting rid of boils and hard skin.
    • Leaves, especially those growing near the root, make a good cordial on infusion, which operates by perspiration and alleviates fevers, headaches and nervous complaints, relieving inflammatory pains.
    • In Iran it has been used for centuries to stimulate the mood and as an aphrodisiac.
    • Leaves and flowering tops are used in infusions and decoction for coughs and other respiratory problems and are also used to soften the skin and relieve inflammation and redness.
    • The tisane can be used on wounds to speed healing and it has been found that the roots contain allantoin which is known to be a wound healer, so a poultice of decoction of the roots may be good for wounds.
    • Freshly squeezed juice of the plant can be applied to reddened and irritated skin.
    • As a poultice it helps against boils and abscesses.
    • Juice of the plant is an effective emollient for reddened and delicate skins.
    • The Viper’s bugloss is used in traditional folk medicine to treat cracked hands and heal wounds.

    Culinary Uses

    • Young leaves can be consumed raw or cooked.
    • They can be used as a spinach substitute.
    • Although somewhat hairy, when chopped up finely they are an acceptable part of a mixed salad.
    • Flowers can be added to salad, crystallized or made into a cordial.
    • Leaves are somewhat hairy, but when chopped up finely they are acceptable – young leaves taste mild and mucilaginous, can be eaten raw in a mixed salad/ or cooked and used as a spinach substitute.

    Other Facts

    • A red dye is obtained from the root.
    • If eaten, the plant is toxic to horses and cattle through the accumulation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the liver.
    • In some countries Echium is grown as an oilseed crop because of the fatty acid composition of the seed oil.
    • Like Borage and Evening primrose oil, it contains significant amounts of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), and it also contains the rarer stearidonic acid.
    • When young, the plants are highly palatable to sheep
    • Plants produce from 500 to 2,000 seeds per plant.

    References:

    https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=31899#null

    http://www.hear.org/pier/species/echium_vulgare.htm

    https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=14879

    https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Echium+vulgare

    http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277970

    http://www.floracatalana.net/echium-vulgare-l

    https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ECVU

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_vulgare

    https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=5564

    https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/weeds-australia/profile/Echium%20vulgare

    http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2784423

    https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/echium_vulgare.htm

    https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/EHIVU

    https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/bugvip85.html

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    Viper’s Bugloss (Blueweed) Scientific Classification

    Scientific Name: Echium vulgare

    Rank Scientific Name & (Common Name)
    Kingdom Plantae (Plants)
    Subkingdom Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
    Infrakingdom Streptophyta  (land plants)
    Super Division Spermatophyta (Seed plants)
    Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
    Sub Division Spermatophytina  (spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames)
    Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
    Sub Class Asteridae
    Super Order Asteranae
    Order Lamiales
    Family Boraginaceae (Borage family)
    Genus Echium L. (viper’s bugloss)
    Species Echium vulgare L. (common viper’s bugloss)
    Synonyms
    • Echium anglicum Huds
    • Echium elegans Noë ex Nyman
    • Echium lacaitae Sennen               
    • Echium laetum Salisb
    • Echium lusitanicum Georgi
    • Echium molle Petter ex Rchb
    • Echium monstrosum F.W.Schmidt ex Steud
    • Echium parviflorum St.-Lag
    • Echium schifferi Lange
    • Echium spinescens G.Klotz
    • Echium tenoreanum Lacaita
    • Echium tuberculatum Gilib
    • Echium vaudense Gremli
    • Echium violaceum Stokes
    • Echium vulgare f. albiflorum R.Hoffm
    • Echium vulgare var. grandiflorum Bertol
    • Echium vulgare var. lacaitae (Sennen) O.Bolòs & Vigo
    • Echium vulgare f. vulgare
    • Echium vulgare var. vulgare
    • Echium wierzbickii Haberle ex Rchb
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