Medicinal Monday - Viper's Bugloss

This plant certainly has an intimidating moniker - Viper's Bugloss...and for a very good reason...every part of the plant is poisonous! The toxic effects of the alkaloids of ingesting this plant are cumulative and lead to liver failure after several months of ingestion. And, even, contact with the foliage of this plant can cause skin irritations. It is hard to believe that Native American communities found a medicinal use for this plant... but they did!

About Viper's Bugloss

Echlum vulgare also known as Viper's Bugloss is in the borage family that originated in Europe and western and central Asia and was introduced to northeastern North America as well as southwestern South America and New Zealand's North and South Islands. This plant is an upright annual characterized by dense cylindrical spikes of bell-shaped vibrant violet-blue flowers that have protruding red stamens that look like the forked tongue of a snake. The red-flecked stalk that resembles the skin of a snake rises from a basal clump of lance-shaped leaves that have bristly hairs. They bloom from late spring through early fall. The flowers turn into seed pods that resemble viper heads before the plant dies. Viper's Bugloss spreads by self-seeding. This plant is drought resistant and prefers poor soil.

Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities used an infusion of the roots of this plant as a diuretic. Another common use was to use the juice of the whole plant for bites and wounds. As its name implies, it was also used to treat snakebites. Specifically, the Cherokee made a compound of this plant and took it as a urinary diuretic aid. They also use the seeds as beads when making jewelry. The Iroquois made a compound infusion of the roots to help expel the placenta after giving birth. The Mohegans made an infusion of the root and took it as a diuretic and in the treatment of fevers. A red dye was also obtained from the roots of this plant.

Did You Know...

In the language of flowers, Viper's Bugloss symbolizes falsehood which is thought to relate to its snake-like nature.

Other names for Viper's Bugloss are Adderwort, Blue Devil, Blue Thistle, Cat's Tail, North American Blueweed, Snake Flower, Viper's Grass, and Viper's Herb.

This plant is toxic to horses. 

Viper's Bugloss is one of the best honey bee plants in the world because of the copious amounts of nectar and pollen it produces over several months. Viper's Bugloss may produce up to 300 to 1000 pounds of honey per acre!