Popular names: brother-and-sister, living forest grass.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria obscura Dumort.)Perennial herbaceous plant of the borage family (Borraginaceae), up to 30 cm high. An upright, branched stem, covered with hard, short hairs, departs from the rhizome. Leaves basal, found after flowering, long-petiolate, cordate-ovate, form a basal rosette. Stem leaves smaller than basal leaves, alternate, sessile. All leaves are white-spotted, rough, covered with fluff. The flowers are bells located at the ends of the branches. Tubular corollas are bright, pink-crimson. During flowering on the plant, in addition to raspberry flowers, blue and purple bells are found, but only pink-raspberry flowers have nectar. Flowers pollinated by insects lose their brightness. The fruits consist of 4 rounded ovoid, pointed nuts. Blossoms in April – May, fruits ripen in July.
COLLECTION AND DRYING OF RAW MATERIALS
As a medicinal raw material, grass and leaves of the lungwort obscure are mainly used, which are harvested before the flowers bloom. Dry quickly in well-ventilated areas to avoid blackening. Dried grass of dark green color with unblown flowers. The shelf life of raw materials is 1 year. In appearance, the plant looks like narrow-leaved lungwort (Pulmonaria angustifolia L.), which is occasionally found in the southern and southwestern parts of Belarus and is distinguished by basal narrow-lanceolate leaves, gradually tapering into a petiole, a calyx with fruits of the same length as below , and above, rounded nuts at the top.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
The plant has an anti-inflammatory, enveloping, expectorant, diuretic, hemostatic and analgesic effect, stimulates hematopoiesis (due to the presence of manganese and other trace elements), regulates the activity of the endocrine glands, and normalizes metabolism.
APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE
Aboveground part. In folk medicine, infusion, decoction – for lung diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis in babies, bronchial asthma, stomach diseases, women’s diseases, hemorrhoids, liver diseases, nephritis, goiter, epilepsy; hemostatic; external infusion, decoction, powder – hemostatic, wound healing; with scrofula; in the form of a warm plaster – with carbuncles. Juice – for pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma, inflammation of the respiratory tract, throat and bronchi, hemoptysis; as a diuretic, analgesic; with diseases of the kidneys, bladder, urolithiasis, hemorrhagic diathesis, hemorrhoids, nosebleeds, anemia, inflammation of the stomach and intestines; externally in the form of lotions, compresses, washes – with purulent wounds, abscesses, whites, in the form of baths – with scrofula. In folk medicine of other countries (Germany, France,
DOSAGE FORMS, METHOD OF APPLICATION AND DOSES
♦ Lungwort herb infusion: pour 10 g of raw material into 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, then filter. Take 1/2 cup 4 times every day 30 minutes before meals. ♦ The juice of the lungwort grass is squeezed out during flowering. Take 3-5 tablespoons with a tablespoon of honey, diluted in 200 ml of warm water, 3-4 times every day 30 minutes before meals.
APPLICATIONS IN OTHER FIELDS
Basal leaves are used to prepare salads, soups, mashed potatoes, as an additive to dough, potatoes. The plant is a component of tonic teas. Honey plant. Decorative.
TASTY TIPS
Lungwort and onion salad.
Thoroughly washed lungwort greens (300 g) and green onions (100 g) chop, salt and mix. Top with slices of hard-boiled eggs and season with sour cream (40 g).
Lungwort salad with spicy tomato sauce.
Grind lungwort greens (150 g), add finely chopped onions (40 g) and boiled potatoes (75 g), salt and mix. Top with tomato sauce (30 g).
Meat soup with lungwort.
Boil meat (150 g) and potatoes (100 g) until tender in water or broth (500 ml). Add chopped lungwort greens (150 g) and browned onions (40 g), bring to a boil, put fat (5 g), salt and pepper (to taste).
Broth with meatballs from lungwort and meat.
Chopped onions (80 g) and parsley (80 g) put in a boiling broth (700 ml) and cook until tender, then lower the meatballs from minced meat (200 g) and chopped lungwort greens (100 g) and cook for another 15 minutes.
Pies with lungwort and egg.
Grind lungwort greens (200 g), onions (100 g) and 2 hard-boiled eggs, add boiled sago (80 g), fat (40 g), salt and pepper (to taste), mix everything. Use the minced meat as a filling for sour dough pies.
Pickled lungwort.
Put the chopped lungwort greens in a glass jar, pour over the marinade, close the lid and store in the refrigerator. To prepare the marinade for 1 kg of greens, take 1 cup of vinegar, 3 cups of water, 50 g of granulated sugar, 50 g of salt, 3 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns (boil for 10 minutes).
Salty lungwort.
Shredded lungwort greens put in a glass jar and pour 10% salt solution. Keep refrigerated.