Anchusa strigosa

Labill.

Voudoglosso

Boraginaceae Edible: Leaves 715 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by

Summary

Anchusa strigosa is a non-succulent species of herbaceous plants in the Boraginaceae family endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean regions, particularly Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Iran. It is known widely by its common names of strigose bugloss and prickly alkanet.

Description

Probably the same as the next (Anchusa strigosa Banks & Sol.) but still an unresolved name in The Plant List.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The roots of Anchusa (like those of Alkanna and Lithospermum) contain anchusin (or alkanet-red), a red-brown resinoid colouring matter. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, chloroform and ether. The red-tinge was used in women's cosmetics as rouge to redden the cheeks. In some species, the resinoid was collected and used for medicinal purposes. Gustaf Dalman, who conducted geographical and ethnographic research in Palestine in the early 20th-century, heard the plant lisān eth-thōr described to him in the country as being an edible wild herb, and which he applied to A. officinalis, saying that its young leaf growths of spring were collected by some of the indigenous Arab peoples of the land, who then boiled them to be eaten. After boiling, the leaves are finely chopped and sautéed in oil and garlic, and used as a meat garnish or as a viand with eggs. The Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE) mentions the medicinal properties of Anchusa (Greek: ἄγχουσα) in his day, adding that "the ointment makers use the root for thickening ointments." Burns and skin lesions can be cured with an ointment prepared from crushed leaves of the plant with the addition of olive oil. The Jewish philosopher and physician, Maimonides (1138–1204 CE), recalls the genera Lingua Bovina ("ox-tongue") in his Guide to Good Health (Regimen Sanitatis), saying that it is "a proven light drug used in compound decoctions", after its leaves were dried, ground into a powder, and infused in hot water.