Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis)

Hey dear Hive friends, first of all I wish every reader a good day and it is a pleasure for me to welcome you to my new post! A few days ago I was in the forest in the afternoon and photographed a wonderful plant, which I would like to present here.

Lungwort can be seen here, which is also scientifically called Pulmonaria officinalis, the scientific name of the genus comes from the Latin word pulmo, which means lung. Like many other plants, also Pulmonaria officinalis was described in the 17th century by the Swedish naturalist and botanist Carl von Linné (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778).

It is a perennial plant that is mainly widespread in Europe and the Caucasus. It is usually found in deciduous and mixed forests or on roadsides and mountains and it prefers soils that are rich in nutrients or calcareous. When the flower comes out more and has opened, I may publish another post in the future to present the entire beauty!

It is also a medicinal plant that was already used in ancient times and and as the name suggests, the plant is particularly interesting for lung diseases and has some interesting anti-inflammatory properties that can help well with cough or other lung diseases. Here, the dose makes the poison applies, because in higher doses the plant can be poisonous and should not be taken permanently. As always, it should be noted that as with any other medicine, you should always ask your doctor or pharmacist about the correct use and possible side effects!

As always, I would like to go into mythology at the end and there are also interesting things to mention here. It was already highly revered by the ancient Greeks and it was mainly used as incense at that time. In many ancient writings it often appears, but about other ancient cultures that also used it, I could not find out so much, but one thing is certain, it was already very much appreciated before. In any case, another great characteristic is the ecological benefit for nature, the plant is very insect-friendly and offers a good source of food for insects such as bees, bumblebees and many more!

Many thanks for stopping by and watching, I hope you like the quality of my pictures and you were able to learn something new! I used my camera Sony Alpha 6000 and Sony SEL-55210 Telephoto Zoom Lens (55-210mm) to take these pictures.