Hound’s Tongue

October 14th, 2009

Botanical Name: Cynoglossum officinale (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Boraginaceae
Synonyms: Lindefolia spectabilis. Dog’s Tongue.
Common names: Houndstongue, gypsy flower, rats and mice, dog bur.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: (unplaced)
Genus: Cynoglossum
Species: C. officinale
Part Used: Herb.
Habitat:Native to Eurasia
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
The center of origin of houndstongue is thought to be the mountains of western Asia and eastern Europe. Houndstongue also occurs in apparently natural communities in Great Britain. It is widely distributed through Europe, where its northern limit is approximately 60°N, though there are isolated occurrences up to 68°N in Sweden. Towards the Mediterranean region it becomes rare. Houndstongue does not grow in the southernmost regions of Europe.
A review by Upadhyaya and others suggests houndstongue was introduced to North America as a crop seed contaminant from Europe. Herbarium specimens of houndstongue were collected in Ontario as early as 1859 and in the western provinces between 1922 and 1934. Houndstongue was noted in 1884 as “common” around Montreal, and as “a pest” in Ontario. As of 1988, houndstongue occurred in all provinces in Canada except Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, and appeared to be most abundant in southern British Columbia and Ontario. Houndstongue occurs throughout the contiguous U.S., in all but 6 southern states. Its occurrence has not been reported in Alaska or Hawaii. Houndstongue is reported as a problem plant in natural areas and parks in several states including Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Colorado, and Oregon . The Plants database provides a distribution map of houndstongue in the United States.

Description:
Hound’s Tongue is a rough, bristly perennial, belonging to the Borage tribe. Its scientific name of Cynoglossum is derived from the Greek, and signifies ‘ Dog’s Tongue,’ from the shape and texture of the leaves, under which name, and still more frequently as Hound’s Tongue, it is properly known.

Hound Tongue . HoundsTongue_rossette . Hound Tongue-1pg ..

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It is a stout, herbaceous plant, found occasionally in this country on waste ground, though more frequently on the Continent, especially in Switzerland and Germany.

The stem, hairy and leafy, 1 to 2 feet high, branched above, arises from amidst large, narrow, radical, stalked leaves.

In Culpepper’s days, the root was also used in decoction and as pills for coughs, colds in the head and shortness of breath, and the leaves were boiled in wine as a cure for dysentery. He also tells us:
‘Bruising the leaves or the juice of them boiled in hog’s lard and applied helpeth to preserve the hair from falling and easeth the pain of a scald or burn. A bruised leaf laid to a green wound speedily heals the same. The baked roots are good for piles, also the distilled water of the herb and root is used with good effect for all the aforesaid purposes, taken inwardly or applied outwardly, especially as a wash for wounds or punctures.’
Gerard says of this plant: ‘It will tye the tongues of Houndes so that they shall not bark at you, if it be laid under the bottom of your feet,’ and in his days the ointment and decoction were very generally reputed to be a cure for the bites of mad dogs.

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Growth:
It can be either annual or biennial, with reddish-purple flowers blooming between May and September. It lives in wet places, waste land and hedges.

Folklore:-
The name houndstongue comes from the belief that it could, if a leaf was worn in the shoe, ward off dog attacks.

Herbalism & medicinal uses:
Herbalists use the plant as a treatment for piles, lung diseases and persistent coughs. Houndstongue ointment is said to cure baldness, and can be used for sores and ulcers. Not all of these uses are supported by scientific evidence.

In modern medicine it is often used internally and externally to relieve piles. It is soothing to the digestive organs.

Toxicity
Cynoglossum officinale contains tumorigenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Propagation: Introduced accidentally through contaminated seed.

Resources:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/houndt40.html

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/houndstongue.shtml

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/cynoff/all.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynoglossum_officinale