Hound’s Tongue
Parts Usually Used
Root, herb, leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Hound’s tongue is a biennial weed; the erect stem, 1-3 feet high, bears alternate, sessile, lanceolate leaves that are downy on both sides. The basal leaves are similar but have petioles and are shaped somewhat like a dog’s tongue. The reddish-purple or lavender flowers have funnel-shaped corollas and grow in curving racemes from May to September. The bruised plant has a disagreeable, mousy or musty odor.
Another variety: Virginia mouse-ear (C. morrison) is a related annual plant similar in appearance to hound’s tongue but with white or light blue flowers. The root is an effective astringent.
Where Found
Grows in waste places, in sandy, rocky soil, and along roadsides in the states north and east of Montana and Kansas, as well as in Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Astringent, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, demulcent
Biochemical Information
Alkaloids, allantoin, heliosupin, tannins, essential oil and mucins
Legends, Myths and Stories
Webster’s Dictionary claims hound’s tongue is of the Borage family; some references state it should be the Forget-me-not family. Legend has it that if the leaves are laid under their feet, it prevents dogs from barking. Hence the name. According to The Herbalist Almanac, if hound’s tongue is gathered when the sap is full of vigor, bruise it with a hammer and lay it in the house, barn or granary that is infested with rats or mice.
The rats and mice will “shift their quarters” so it is claimed. Hound’s tongue is an escaped weed from the early Colonial gardens. It was brought to the United States from the Old World for its medicinal properties.
Uses
Historically, herbalists primarily utilized this plant for diarrhea and dysentery. Traditional practitioners also administered it for coughs, catarrh, indigestion, colic, chronic bronchitis, neuritis, neuralgia, colds, and various lung complaints. Externally, historical preparations were applied to burns, bruises, scratches, insect bites, snakebites, piles, abrasions, boils, goiters, and slow-healing wounds.
Nicholas Culpeper recorded an account claiming to have addressed the bite of a rabid dog using this herb.
Warning
Hound’s tongue is weakly poisonous and should be taken with care. The plant has marked narcotic tendencies. Contains the potentially carcinogenic alkaloids, cynoglossine and consolidine, both central nervous system depressants. It may also cause dermatitis in susceptible individuals. Use only under medical supervision.
Bibliography
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
copyright 1974. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974