Omnia SanaCommon names in 11 European languages →
The complete database record: 2 documented constituents, 4 pharmacological actions, 4 traditional / indicated uses, with 13 cited sources.
Botanical Description
Low, hairy perennial herb (Boraginaceae), 15-30 cm tall. Basal leaves are long-stalked, ovate to lance-shaped, often white-spotted - the spotted pattern was historically likened to diseased lung tissue under the medieval Doctrine of Signatures, giving rise to the name 'lungwort' - and covered in bristly hairs. Funnel-shaped flowers open pink and turn blue as they mature, borne in small coiled clusters (cymes).[10]
Habitat & Distribution
Native to central and southern Europe, growing in damp, shaded woodland, hedgebanks and scrub on humus-rich soils; widely cultivated as a shade garden plant.[10]
Harvesting
Aerial flowering parts are cut during flowering (spring); the plant can also be gathered later in the growing season, though the phenolic constituent profile is documented to differ measurably between spring and autumn harvests.[11]
Key Constituents
The main antioxidant and COX-2-inhibiting constituents; LC-MS/MS profiling of the aerial parts identified dozens of phenolic compounds (caffeic acid esters and danshensu/dicaffeic-acid conjugates), nine of them previously undescribed, with marked seasonal variation.
Pharmacological Actions
Traditional & Indicated Uses
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Traditional demulcent / expectorant for cough, bronchitis, sore throat and respiratory catarrh (mucilage and saponins)
inferred from demulcent action
Traditional Use & History
Lungwort's spotted leaves inspired its traditional use, under the Doctrine of Signatures, as a remedy for lung and respiratory complaints - coughs, bronchitis, catarrh and sore throat - valued for its soothing mucilage and astringent tannins. Modern research confirms antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (COX-2-inhibiting) activity of its phenolic-rich extract, though clinical trial evidence in humans remains limited.[10]
Preparations
Dried aerial parts steeped in hot water, the traditional respiratory remedy.
Dosage
Traditional guidance suggests roughly 2-4 g dried herb per cup as an infusion, up to three times daily, for short-term use; avoid prolonged or high-dose internal use given the borage family's potential pyrrolizidine-alkaloid content. Educational reference only, not a prescription.
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
As a member of the borage family (Boraginaceae), which can contain hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, prolonged or high-dose internal use is best avoided; use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended.
Traditional use only; clinical evidence in humans is limited, so a cough or respiratory complaint that persists needs medical assessment.
Harvest Readiness
[12]
External Identifiers
References & Sources
- Ignjatijevic, A., Andjic, T., Ljesevic, M., Nikolic, B. and others (2025) 'Assessment of Antioxidant Activity and Dose-Dependent Effect on Genotoxicity/Antigenotoxicity of Pulmonaria officinalis Ethanolic Extract', Pharmaceutics, 17(9), pp. 1134. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17091134 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17091134 - Krzaczek, T. and others (1995) 'Flavonoid glycosides from aerial parts of Pulmonaria officinalis', Planta Medica, 61(5), pp. 488. doi:10.1055/s-2006-959385 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-959385 - Krzyzanowska-Kowalczyk, J. and others (2019) 'Pulmonaria officinalis L. Extract in Cystic Fibrosis: In Vitro Evidence on Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates', Molecules, 24(6), pp. 1151. doi:10.3390/molecules24061151 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24061151 - Neagu, E., Radu, G.L., Albu, C. and Paun, G (2016) 'Antioxidant activity, acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory potential of Pulmonaria officinalis and Centaurium umbellatum extracts', Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 25(3), pp. 578-585. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.02.016 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.02.016 - Akram, M. and Rashid, A (2017) 'Anti-coagulant activity of plants: mini review', Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, 44(3), pp. 406-411. doi:10.1007/s11239-017-1546-5 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11239-017-1546-5 - Byshevskii, A.Sh., Gerbert, I.Ia., Dement'eva, I.A., Leven, P.I. and Chiriat'ev, E.A (1990) 'Nature, properties and the mechanism of the effect on blood coagulation of the preparation obtained from Pulmonaria officinalis', Gematologiia i Transfuziologiia, 35(10), pp. 6-9. Preclinical
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Nature%2C%20properties%20and%20the%20mechanism%20of%20the%20effect%20on%20blood%20coagulation%20of%20the%20preparation%20obtained%20from%20Pulmonaria%20officinalis - Ivanova, D., Gerova, D., Chervenkov, T. and Yankova, T (2005) 'Polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of Bulgarian medicinal plants', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 96(1-2), pp. 145-150. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.033 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.033 - Neuhauser, C., Schwarzinger, B., Schwarzinger, C., Feichtinger, M. and others (2024) 'Insulin-Mimetic Activity of Herbal Extracts Identified with Large-Scale Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy', Nutrients, 16(14), pp. 2182. doi:10.3390/nu16142182 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142182 - Luthy, J., Brauchli, J., Zweifel, U., Schmid, P. and Schlatter, C (1984) 'Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in medicinal plants of Boraginaceae: Borago officinalis L. and Pulmonaria officinalis L', Pharmaceutica Acta Helvetiae, 59(9-10), pp. 242-246. Preclinical
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Pyrrolizidine%20alkaloids%20in%20medicinal%20plants%20of%20Boraginaceae%3A%20Borago%20officinalis%20L.%20and%20Pulmonaria%20officinalis%20L. - Krzyzanowska-Kowalczyk, J., Kowalczyk, M., Ponczek, M.B., Pecio, L., Nowak, P. and Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, J (2021) 'Pulmonaria officinalis and Pulmonaria obscura Extracts as Mitigators of Peroxynitrite-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors - In Vitro and In Silico Studies', Molecules. doi:10.3390/molecules26030631 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030631 - Krzyzanowska-Kowalczyk, J. and Pecio, L. and Moldoch, J. and Ludwiczuk, A. and Kowalczyk, M (2018) 'Novel Phenolic Constituents of Pulmonaria officinalis L. LC-MS/MS Comparison of Spring and Autumn Metabolite Profiles', Molecules, 23(9). doi:10.3390/molecules23092277 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23092277 - Plants For A Future 'Pulmonaria officinalis (Lungwort)'. Available at: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pulmonaria+officinalis Traditional / reference
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pulmonaria+officinalis - Krzyzanowska-Kowalczyk, J., Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, J., Kowalczyk, M., Pecio, L., Nowak, P. and Stochmal, A (2017) 'Yunnaneic Acid B, a Component of Pulmonaria officinalis Extract, Prevents Peroxynitrite-Induced Oxidative Stress in Vitro', Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(19), pp. 3827--3834. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00718 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00718
Selected studies & references
All 12 studies in the Knowledge Finder →
This profile is assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database, which we curate by hand. How this site is built.