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Lycopus virginicus
| Common name: |
Bugleweed |
Family: |
Labiatae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200, 235 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - New York and Wisconsin south to Georgia and Texas. |
| Habitat: |
Low damp shady ground in rich moist soils[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Bugle Weed [L], Bugleweed [S,H,E], Gipsyweed [H], Horehound, Water [S], Su Ferasyunu [E], Sweet Bugle [H], Virginia Water-horehound [B], Virginia Waterhorehound [P], Virginian Water Horehound [H], Water Bugle [H], Water Horehound [S], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Turkey; Us; Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.45m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist or wet soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Bog Garden, Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Root.
Root - cooked[46, 61].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antidandruff; Astringent; Cardiac; Hypoglycaemic; Narcotic; Sedative.
Bugleweed has sedative properties and is used in modern herbalism
principally to treat an overactive thyroid gland and the racing heartbeat
that often accompanies this condition[254].
The whole plant is used as an astringent, hypoglycaemic, mild narcotic and
mild sedative[4, 102, 222, 238]. It also slows and strengthens heart
contractions[238]. The plant has been shown to be of value in the treatment
of hyperthyroidism[222, 238], it is also used in the treatment of coughs,
bleeding from the lungs and consumption, excessive menstruation etc[4, 238].
It should not be prescribed for pregnant women or patients with
hypothyroidism[238]. The plant is harvested as flowering begins and can be
use fresh or dried, in an infusion or as a tincture[4, 238].
The root has been chewed, a portion swallowed and the rest applied
externally in the treatment of snakebites[257]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Tolerates most soil types so long as they are wet. Succeeds in full sun
or in partial shade[238], in damp meadows or in wet places by ponds or
streams[200].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame[238]. Prick out the
seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow
them on in the greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out into their
permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring or autumn[238]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct
into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps
and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out
in the spring.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lycopus+virginicus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lycopus+virginicus
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