Lungwort Facts
Lungwort Facts
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| Interesting Lungwort Facts: |
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| Lungwort is small herbaceous plant. It has upright, unbranched, hairy stem that can reach 12 inches in height. |
| Lungwort has hairy, alternately arranged leaves. They are oval in shape and have whole margin. One plant usually produces leaves of different shades of green. Leaves are covered with whitish-grey spots in the most species of lungwort. |
| Whitish spots on the leaves also contain chlorophyll (green pigment used in the process of photosynthesis), but air pockets in the leaf's tissue mask it. |
| Lungwort is one of the first plants that blossom in the spring. It has small tubular flowers arranged in terminal clusters. Color of the flowers depends on the variety. It can be white, red, blue and purple. |
| Lungwort is rich source of nectar which attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, main pollinators of the flowers. |
| Lungwort is also known as "Soldiers and Sailors", because it changes the color of the flowers from red to blue. Two-colored flowers can be seen at the same time, resembling the colors of the uniforms of British army (red) and navy (blue). |
| Leaves of lungwort are rich source of phytochemicals that can be used in treatment of various disorders. |
| In the past, when expensive laboratory equipment didn't existed, people searched cures by observing similarities between the color and the shape of the plants and diseased organs. Oval-shaped leaves covered with whitish spots resemble diseased lungs. Logically, lungwort was selected as "natural cure" for pulmonary diseases. |
| Lungwort is mainly used in treatment of lung disorders such as asthma, tuberculosis and cough. |
| Lungwort contains antibiotics that successfully kill bacteria responsible for respiratory infections. |
| Lungwort can be also used in treatment of renal and gastrointestinal disorders. |
| Lungwort should be used cautiously, because it contains compounds that may induce rash and other unwanted skin reactions. |
| Lungwort is one of the rare plants that can survive underneath the black walnut tree, which produces substance that is toxic for most plant species. |
| Lungwort is also known as pulmonaria, lung moss, spotted comfrey, oak lungs and Jerusalem cowslip. |
| Lungwort is perennial plant, which means that it lives more than two years. |
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