Botanical description of the plant
Common Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) is a plant from the family of Boraginaceae, native to Europe and Asia.
The ground leaves usually overwinter. Leaves with a heart-shaped or rounded bottom are extremely quickly tapered into a stalk and mostly sprinkled with whitish spots.
Its five-digit flowers are pink and blue at first and later pale purple.
It grows on rich and moist soils, loves shade, so it usually found at the edge of forests.
Use in folk medicine
The flowers of lungwort are harvested in the spring. In the case of a warmer winter, the first flowers can be seen in early February. It gained its reputation in folk medicine as it was sometimes used to treat tuberculosis and pneumonia. Shepherds feed dried plants to livestock, in the water if they were suffering from a cough.
Taking lungwort preparations will greatly benefit your health. Young leaves can also be prepared as spinach, or added as an addition to various salads. It is a plant that is not only good for your respiratory tract and lungs, but also has a beneficial effect on other functions in your body, such as reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. It is also a powerful antioxidant, so it prevents premature aging and makes your skin look better.
It is also known for its diuretic effect, which can stimulate the drainage of water from the body, so it can help you with urinary tract infection.
It will also have a beneficial effect if you suffer from digestive disorders, such as bloating, water retention, diarrhea or problems with digestion of certain foods.
It is also used to cure hemorrhoids.
Lungwort tea
The plant should be dried in the shade, in a warm place. It is important that it stays green, otherwise it loses its healing effects. Pour 2 teaspoons of dried pneumonia plant with 2dcl of boiling water and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then strain. You can enjoy freshly brewed tea several times a day. For colds, you can drink up to three cups of tea a day, but no longer than eight days in a row.
Tea will help dilute the mucus and relax the respiratory tract, making it easier to breathe. It can be mixed with other herbs that relieve colds, especially in winter. Due to the content of tannin, saponin, silicic acid, vitamin A and C and natural antioxidant flavonoids, pneumonia is extremely effective in relieving lung and respiratory problems.
Due to the content of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, caution is recommended when using pneumonia and it is not recommended to take preparations from this plant for too long. The recommended limit of use is up to eight consecutive days.
Lungwort powder
Dried plants are crushed into powder. When the plant is completely dry, it is very small in quantity. It is used in powder form as a sprinkle to heal wounds. You can also mix it with coconut butter to get an ointment.