Blackroot Medicinal

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Blackroot medicinal (lat. Cynoglossum officinale) - a pubescent herbaceous biennial plant of the Chernokoren genus (Latin Cynoglossum) from the Borage family (Latin Boraginaceae). The showy plant often grows like a weed, exuding an unpleasant odor. All parts of the plant contain a number of substances that are poisonous, but can be used for the production of dyes, as well as medicines, if protective measures are taken and the correct dosage is taken.

What's in your name

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Blackroot - this is the Russian name for a genus of plants, assigned to it for the blackish shell that covers the underground roots of plants.

The Latin name of the genus is based on the appearance of the leaves and the human tactile sensations when touching the leaves. The appearance of the leaves is very simple - they are solid, elongated-oval leaves, resembling a dog's tongue in their shape. The hair on the leaves leaves a feeling of roughness on the human hand, which is also interpreted in favor of the dog's tongue. These qualities of the leaves served as the Latin name for the genus "Cynoglossum", composed of two Greek words. Greek is often used by botanists when looking for a suitable name for plants. In this case, the words that sound in translation as "dog" and "language" were used. So the name "Cynoglossum", that is, "Dog's tongue", or other variations:"

Canine tongue"," Tongue of a hound dog "…

There are no questions about the specific epithet “officinale” (“medicinal”). It is assigned to the plant for its healing abilities, which should be used with extreme caution in view of the plant's toxicity.

Description

Straight few herbaceous stems of a two-year-old plant grow up to a meter in height. In the upper part of the plant, the stems branch out.

Food for the plant is obtained by a taproot with a diameter of up to 2.5 centimeters, covered with a blackish shell, which gave the generic name "Chernokoren".

Oblong-lanceolate basal leaves up to 20 centimeters long and up to 5 centimeters wide have petioles. Climbing higher along the stem, the leaves lose their petioles, turning into sessile and becoming narrower, pointed-nosed. Basal leaves by the flowering period, having fulfilled their role, die off. Stems and leaves of Blackroot officinalis are covered with rather dense and dense pubescence.

The paniculate inflorescences that adorn the plant from May to June are formed by red-blue small flowers on long pubescent pedicels, giving the impression that nature has carefully wrapped the stems with felt from adversity, taking care of the continuation of the genus.

By the end of summer, bristly, egg-shaped fruits appear.

The toxicity of all parts of Blackroot officinalis is manifested even in the unpleasant odor emanating from the plant. This already alarms the person and calls for caution when collecting medicinal raw materials.

Blackroot officinalis healing abilities

Along with poisonous alkaloids, the aerial parts of the plant contain a number of useful substances, such as carotene, fatty and essential oils, choline (vitamin B4, which improves human memory, nervous system and regulates insulin levels), resins. In addition to alkaloids, the roots contain inulin, acids, tannins, and alkanine (a dye).

Traditional healers could not pass by such wealth. They have attracted the leaves and roots of the plant to treat many ailments, including skin conditions (boils, burns, wounds and scratches), cold coughs, muscle cramps, when it is necessary to reduce unbearable pain.

Use of Blackroot officinalis in rodent control

The unpleasant smell of the plant is alarming not only for humans, but also as a deterrent for mice, rats, moles and other animals that love to gnaw someone else's harvest.

You can simply spread the grass of the plant along with the roots in the cellar, or use the juice of the plant to scare away.