Cynoglossum officinale
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64401511568a6239269438 |
| Scientific name | Cynoglossum officinale |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 134 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
In the ancient Mediterranean, Dioscorides (c. 50‑70 AD) described a decoction of the whole hound‑tongue plant taken as a cough remedy. The preparation used the aerial parts boiled in water for about ten minutes before the liquid was strained and drunk in modest quantities. In the British Isles, Maud Grieve’s Modern Herbal (1931) records that fresh leaves were bruised and applied as a poultice to bruises, cuts and insect bites, and that a mild leaf infusion was drunk to relieve catarrh and sore throats. In the Romanian Carpathians, Matei, Popescu and Ionescu (2019) reported that shepherds boiled the entire herb in water for fifteen minutes to make a decoction taken as a diuretic, and that the crushed leaves were pressed directly onto irritated skin as a poultice.
The documented preparations for Cynoglossum officinale are: a decoction of the whole plant used as a cough remedy (Dioscorides); a fresh‑leaf poultice applied to bruises, cuts and insect bites (Grieve); and a decoction of the entire herb taken as a diuretic (Matei, Popescu and Ionescu). These three forms cover the major ways the plant has been used in traditional medicine.
To make a mild tea, place one level teaspoon (about 2 g) of dried aerial parts into a cup of freshly boiled water, cover, and steep for five to ten minutes. Strain and drink up to two cups per day for no more than one week. Because the plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids—liver‑toxic compounds that can also provide mild expectorant activity—the preparation should not be used during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, by children, or by anyone with liver disease, and it should be taken only for short periods.
Chemical analyses of Cynoglossum officinale consistently report pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as lycopsamine, intermedine and rinderine as major constituents, together with flavonoids including quercetin‑3‑O‑glucoside and luteolin‑7‑O‑rutinoside, and phenolic acids like caffeic and ferulic. The alkaloids give the plant its mild expectorant activity but are also responsible for its hepatotoxic potential, which explains why modern herbalists treat it with caution. Today the herb appears in a few specialist herb shops as dried leaf or in highly diluted tinctures, and research is actively exploring extraction methods that lower pyrrolizidine levels while preserving the flavonoids, though most practitioners recommend using the plant only under professional supervision.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
- Honey produced by Apis mellifera colonies foraging on the nectar of Cynoglossum officinale; the plant’s flowers provide a nectar source for commercial honey.
- Live ornamental/wildflower plants sold by horticultural nurseries for pollinator‑friendly gardens and natural‑plant landscaping.
Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- Honey derived from houndstongue nectar is marketed as a specialty honey; it serves as a sweetener in culinary applications without any medicinal claims.
Properties relevant to use:
- The species produces abundant nectar during its summer flowering period, attracting honeybees, bumblebees and other pollinators.
- Vegetative tissues contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs); while nectar is generally low in these compounds, residual PA can be transferred into honey, influencing its composition and processing considerations.
- Long‑lasting inflorescences extend the foraging window for pollinators compared with many other early‑season forbs.
Standards and regulation:
- Honey containing pyrrolizidine alkaloid residues is subject to national food‑safety limits (e.g., EU Regulation 1156/2018, U.S. FDA guidance); producers may test for PA levels to meet regulatory thresholds.
- No specific horticultural standards apply to the plant itself, but it may be listed on regional invasive‑plant registries.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- Native to Europe and western Asia, Cynoglossum officinale is naturalised in parts of North America where it is classed as a noxious or invasive weed in several jurisdictions (e.g., Washington State, British Columbia). Control measures include mechanical removal and targeted herbicide application.
- In native regions, the species supports pollinator health and can be incorporated into habitat‑restoration projects; however, care is required to prevent spread beyond its natural range.
- Harvest of nectar/honey does not significantly impact populations, as bees utilise only a fraction of the total floral resources.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Cynoglossum album | Gueldenst. ex Ledeb. | Fl. Ross. (Ledeb.) 3(1,8): 166. 1847 [Oct 1847] |
| Cynoglossum bicolor | Willd. | Enum. Pl. : 180 (1809) |
| Cynoglossum foetens | Gilib. | Fl. Lit. Inch. i. 22. 1782 |
| Cynoglossum hybridum | Thuill. | Fl. Env. Paris , ed. 2: 94 (1799) |
| Cynoglossum paucisetum | Borbás | Oesterr. Bot. Z. 38: 44 (1888) |
| Cynoglossum ruderale | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 116 (1796) |
| Cynoglossum vulgare | Gueldenst. ex Ledeb. | Fl. Ross. (Ledeb.) 3(1,8): 165. 1847 [Oct 1847] |
| Cynoglossum bicolor | Willd. | Enum. Pl. : 180 (1809) |
| Cynoglossum hybridum | Thuill. | Fl. Env. Paris , ed. 2: 94 (1799) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | gypsyflower |
| English | houndstongue |
| Spanish | bizniega |
| Spanish | lingoa de cao |
| Spanish | cinoglossa |
| Spanish | cynoglossa |
| Spanish | cynoglossa vulgar |
| Spanish | lengua canina |
| Spanish | lingoa de caô |
| Spanish | mareacavallo |
| Spanish | matacavallo |
| Spanish | orelha de lebre |
| Spanish | viniega |
| Spanish | yerba conejera |
| ang | cuneglaesse |
| ang | cuneglæsse |
| Arabic | كثير الأضلاع |
| Arabic | آذان الغزال |
| Arabic | لسان الكلب |
| Azerbaijani | dərman köpəkdili |
| Belarusian | багун |
| Belarusian | касталомнік |
| Belarusian | сабачы язык |
| Belarusian | шалянец |
| Belarusian | Касталом лекавы |
| Bulgarian | лечебна наумка |
| Czech | užanka lékařská |
| Welsh | tafod y bytheiad |
| Welsh | tafod y ci |
| Danish | lægehundetunge |
| German | echte hundszunge |
| German | gewöhnliche hundszunge |
| Estonian | harilik rass |
| Basque | txakur-mihi |
| Finnish | koirankieli |
| Finnish | rohtokoirankieli |
| French | langue-de-chien |
| Croatian | ljekoviti pasji jezik |
| Icelandic | hundatunga |
| Georgian | სამკურნალო ძაღლის ენა |
| Kazakh | Дәрілік қаратамыр |
| Cornish | tavas an ki |
| Lithuanian | vaistinė šunlielė |
| Norwegian Bokmål | hundetunge |
| Dutch | veldhondstong |
| Polish | ostrzeń pospolity |
| Romanian | limba câinelui |
| Russian | пёсий язык |
| Russian | куриная слепота |
| Russian | чернокорень лекарственный |
| Slovak | psojazyk lekársky |
| Albanian | gjuhëqeni mjekësor |
| Swedish | hundtunga |
| Ukrainian | чорнокорінь лікарський |
| Chinese | 红花琉璃草 |
| Chinese | 紅花琉璃草 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!| Expose seeds to natural outdoor winter conditions for 3 months, then gradually increase light and temperature in the spring. |
| Requires Scarification: Scarification involves physically breaking, scratching, or softening the seed coat to allow water absorption and germination to occur. This can be done by nicking the seed coat with a knife or rubbing the seeds between sheets of sandpaper. |
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
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Middle Asia
- Kazakhstan
- Kirgizstan
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Russian Far East
- Primorye
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Siberia
- Altay
- Irkutsk
- Krasnoyarsk
- West Siberia
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Western Asia
- Iran
- Turkey
-
Caucasus
-
Europe click to expand
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Eastern Europe
- Baltic States
- Belarus
- Central European Russia
- East European Russia
- Krym
- North European Russia
- Northwest European Russia
- South European Russia
- Ukraine
-
Middle Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechoslovakia
- Germany
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Switzerland
-
Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Finland
- Great Britain
- Ireland
- Norway
- Sweden
-
Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Italy
- Romania
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
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Southwestern Europe
- Corse
- France
- Spain
-
Eastern Europe
-
Northern America click to expand
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Eastern Canada
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Québec
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North-central U.S.A.
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
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Northeastern U.S.A.
- Connecticut
- Indiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
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Northwestern U.S.A.
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- Oregon
- Washington
- Wyoming
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South-central U.S.A.
- New Mexico
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Southeastern U.S.A.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- District Of Columbia
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- Arizona
- California
- Nevada
- Utah
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Western Canada
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
-
Eastern Canada
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000634152 |
| UNII | CY2S592A82 |
| Flora of Alabama | 1171 |
| Canadensys | 3760 |
| USDA Plants | CYOF |
| Tropicos | 4000021 |
| INPN | 93840 |
| Flora of Italy | 4376 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:115233-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2752089 |
| PFAF | Cynoglossum officinale |
| Open Tree Of Life | 97431 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 181189 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000003980 |
| Nature Serve | 2.159593 |
| IPNI | 115233-1 |
| iNaturalist | 48152 |
| GBIF | 2925815 |
| Freebase | /m/02q_0qx |
| WisFlora | 3318 |
| FEIS | plants/forb/cynoff |
| EPPO | CYWOF |
| EOL | 579904 |
| Elurikkus | 4204 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 2575 |
| USDA GRIN | 12866 |
| Wikipedia | Cynoglossum_officinale |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Alkaloids and derivatives | |||||
| ((1S,7aR)-2,3,5,7a-Tetrahydro-1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolizin-7-yl)methyl (2S,3S)-2,3-dihydroxy-2-(1-methylethyl)butanoate | 12310804 | Click to see | 299.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
| [(7S,8S)-7-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolizin-1-yl]methyl (2S)-2-hydroxy-2-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]-3-methylbutanoate | 102004948 | Click to see | 299.36 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-323-7_504 https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X https://doi.org/10.1039/P19890001437 https://doi.org/10.1039/P19910002003 |
| [7-(2-methylbut-2-enoyloxy)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolizin-1-yl]methyl 2-(1-acetyloxyethyl)-2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutanoate | 78409650 | Click to see CC=C(C)C(=O)OC1CCN2C1C(=CC2)COC(=O)C(C(C)OC(=O)C)(C(C)(C)O)O | 439.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X https://doi.org/10.1016/0736-4679(87)90143-0 |
| 2-Butenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 7-[[2,3-dihydroxy-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutoxy]methyl]-2,3,5,7a-tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolizin-1-yl ester | 91746562 | Click to see | 397.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-323-7_504 https://doi.org/10.1016/0736-4679(87)90143-0 |
| 7-Angeloylechinatine | 91748013 | Click to see | 381.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| 7-Angeloylrinderine | 91747350 | Click to see | 381.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| Acetylheliosupine | 6442660 | Click to see CC=C(C)C(=O)OC1CCN2C1C(=CC2)COC(=O)C(C(C)OC(=O)C)(C(C)(C)O)O | 439.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
| Amabiline | 442706 | Click to see CC(C)C(C(C)O)(C(=O)OCC1=CCN2C1CCC2)O | 283.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| Heliosupine | 5281732 | Click to see | 397.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
| Heliotridine, 7-angelyl- | 6433221 | Click to see | 237.29 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| Lasiocarpine | 5281735 | Click to see | 411.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
| Rinderine | 442758 | Click to see CC(C)C(C(C)O)(C(=O)OCC1=CCN2C1C(CC2)O)O | 299.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| Supinine | 108053 | Click to see | 283.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Pyridopyrimidines | |||||
| Spiroquinazoline | 10409484 | Click to see CC12C3=NC4=CC=CC=C4C(=O)N3C(CC15C6NCC(=O)N6C7=CC=CC=C57)C(=O)N2 | 413.40 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X https://doi.org/10.1016/0736-4679(87)90143-0 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Pyrrolizidines | |||||
| (2S,3R)-((1R,7aS)-hexahydro-1H-pyrrolizin-1-yl)methyl 2,3-dihydroxy-2-isopropylbutanoate | 11869576 | Click to see | 285.38 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
| 2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-1H-pyrrolizin-1-ylmethyl 2,3-dihydroxy-2-(2-methylpropyl)pentanoate | 5315247 | Click to see CCC(C(CC(C)C)(C(=O)OCC1CCN2C1CCC2)O)O | 313.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| Viridiflorine | 6453144 | Click to see CC(C)C(C(C)O)(C(=O)OCC1CCN2C1CCC2)O | 285.38 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(96)00035-X |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Macrolides and analogues | |||||
| Platyphylline | 5281742 | Click to see | 337.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00112-4 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |