Lungwort

Western Bulk Herbs – Lungwort

As the name implies lungwort is used in treatments of chest and throat problems. Combined with other healing herbs it can treat coughs, asthma, whooping cough, and an external application can be used on wounds and skin problems.

Latin Name:
Pulmonaria officinalis

Common Names:
Spotted Dog, Spotted Lungwort, Jerusalem Cowslip, Lung Moss, Oak Lungs, and Sage of Bethlem, Spotted Lungwort, Spotted Comfrey,and Lugenkraut.

Parts Used:
Leaves

Properties:
Astringent/Respiratory system

Traditional Uses:
A tincture, tea or in capsules.

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Folk Lore:
Sir J. E. Smith says that: “every part of the plant is mucilaginous, but its reputation for coughs arose not from this circumstance, but from the speckled appearance of the leaves, resembling the lungs!”

Chemical Properties:
Catecholtannins, Silicic Acid, Allantoin, Saponins, Flavonoids, Quercetin, Kaempferol, Tannic Acid

Cautions:
It seems to be debated whether or not Lungwort contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The Botanical Safety Handbook claims that Lungwort can be safely consumed when used appropriately and writes: “Although De Smet cites the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the herb, both Wren and Wichtl present gas chromatographic investigations which failed to detect these compounds in any of the samples tested”.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.