Pulmonaria officinalis

Pulmonaria officinalis, common names lungwort, common lungwort, Mary's tears or Our Lady's milk drops, is a herbaceous rhizomatous evergreen perennial plant of the genus Pulmonaria, belonging to the family Boraginaceae.

Description

A perennial herb. It grows 25-30 cm high and 30-45 cm wide. The leaves are heart-shaped and spotted. They are 15 cm long. The flowers change from pink to violet then blue.

Edible Uses

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked — added to salads or used as a potherb. The flavour is fairly bland, and while the low fibre content makes them an acceptable addition to mixed salads, their mucilaginous and slightly hairy texture makes them less pleasant eaten alone. Young leaves make a palatable cooked vegetable, though the texture tends toward sliminess. The plant is also an ingredient in the drink Vermouth.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves near the base are used for salads or boiled as potherbs or added to soups and stews. An extract of the herb is used to flavour vermouth.

Medicinal Uses

Lungwort's high mucilage content makes it particularly useful for chest conditions, especially chronic bronchitis. It combines well with herbs such as coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) for treating chronic coughs including whooping cough, and can be taken for asthma. The leaves and flowering shoots are astringent, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, mildly expectorant and resolvent. Their mucilaginous nature also makes them helpful for sore throats. Applied externally, the leaves can help stop bleeding. They are harvested in spring and dried for later use. A distilled water made from the plant serves as an effective eyewash for tired eyes. A homeopathic remedy prepared from the plant is used to treat bronchitis, coughs and diarrhoea.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It will grow in most soils. It needs a protected and partly shady position. It is frost hardy. It is sensitive to drought. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.

Where It Grows

Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe*, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye,

Cultivation

Grows well in any moderately good soil including heavy clay soils. Prefers full to part shade in a moist humus rich soil. Succeeds in the sunless shade of buildings. Plants growing in shady positions tolerate drought if the soil is rich in humus. The leaves tend to wilt in hot weather when the plant is grown in full sun. Hardy to about -20°c. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer and rabbits. A valuable early nectar source for bees. There are several named forms, selected for their ornamental value. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, and grow on under glass through their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Divide in spring, autumn, or after early summer flowering provided the soil is not too dry. Larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions. Smaller divisions are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a cold frame until well established before planting out in late spring or early summer.

Other Uses

A tolerant, slow-growing ground cover plant suited to open woodland and border edges. Space plants approximately 50cm apart in each direction. Attracts wildlife and can be incorporated into a food forest planting.

Notes

There are about 14 Pulmonaria species. Contains flavonoids, ascorbic and silicic acid, saponins, tannins, carotene, allantoin, rutin and mucous membranes. The plant also contains unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Cicalka, Cmelik, Lungeurt, Medunica, Plucna zelina, Plucnjak

References (23)

• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 853
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 208
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 847
• Cerne, M., 1992, Wild Plants from Slovenia used as Vegetables. Acta Horticulturae 318
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1111

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