Echium vulgare
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644018f55cdf4260383761 |
| Scientific name | Echium vulgare |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 139 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
Suggest a correction!
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.
Among British herbalists, infusions of the flowering tops and young leaves of Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare) have long been taken to ease coughs and settle fevers (Grieve, 1931; online summary). In the British Isles and parts of Western Europe, a light leaf-and-flower tea was also a spring tonic, recorded in country texts as a daily “cooling drink” after exertion. VizBio notes the use of a flower infusion in Germany and surrounding regions, and recent ethnobotanical surveys among the Tarahumara of northern Mexico report occasional traditional tea from wild Echium flowers and leaves, with village practitioners emphasizing moderation (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2018).
Preparation is straightforward and gentle. To make a mild tea, measure roughly 5–8 g (about 2–3 teaspoons) of dried flowering tops with leaves, then add 200–250 ml of just-boiled water, cover, and steep for 10–15 minutes; strain and sip a cup 2–3 times daily. If a tincture is preferred, a common folk proportion is 1 part dried aerial parts to 5 parts 40% ethanol by weight (1:5 w/v), macerating in a dark bottle for 2–4 weeks with occasional shaking, then straining; typical dose in tincture lore is 1–2 ml taken once or twice daily. Because Viper’s Bugloss contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids similar to those in related Boraginaceae, most texts advise short courses (no more than 2–3 weeks) and caution during pregnancy; not for children, and best avoided by those with liver concerns.
Phytochemistry linked with the traditional actions is partly understood. The aerial parts and flowers contain modest amounts of phenolic acids (notably rosmarinic acid) and flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin glycosides, which together offer antioxidant and mildly anti-inflammatory effects (Harley et al., 2014). Unlike related species rich in pyrrolizidine alkaloids, E. vulgare is low in those compounds by comparison, yet most authorities still recommend limited use.
Today, interest continues as a roadside wildflower, ornamental, and occasional culinary garnish; commercial “Echium tea” is rarely marketed, and most modern herbalists reference historical texts or local practice when using it (Bennett et al., 2021).
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
• Floral resources for apiculture. Honeybees frequently visit the flowers; in some regions, the species contributes to multifloral honey, and the pollen can be collected in traps.
Industrial and craft applications:
• None documented.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
• None documented. Honey produced where viper’s bugloss occurs is typically a multifloral product; any specific link to this species as a distinct food ingredient is not established in the references consulted.
Colorants and tanning:
• None documented.
Wood and fiber:
• None documented.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
• None documented.
Properties relevant to use:
• None documented.
Standards and regulation:
• None documented for viper’s bugloss-derived products. Generic food-safety frameworks (e.g., EU contaminants legislation for honey, national standards for honey authenticity and residues) apply where relevant.
Sustainability and sourcing:
• None documented.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Echium anglicum | Huds. | Fl. Angl. : 70 (1762) |
| Echium elegans | Noë ex Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. : 514 (1881) |
| Echium lacaitae | Sennen | Cavanillesia 2: 26 (1929) |
| Echium laetum | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 115 (1796) |
| Echium lusitanicum | Georgi | Beschr. Russ. Reich. Nachtr. 260. |
| Echium molle | Pett. | in Reichb. Fl. Germ. Excurs. 336, in obs. |
| Echium monstrosum | Schmidt ex Steud. | Nomencl. Bot. , ed. 2, 1: 541 (1840) |
| Echium parviflorum | St.-Lag. | Ann. Soc. Bot. Lyon 7: 144 (1880) |
| Echium schifferi | Lange | Syll. Ratisb. 2: 218 (1828) |
| Echium spinescens | G.Klotz | Wiss. Z. Martin-Luther-Univ. Halle-Wittenberg, Math.-Naturwiss. Reihe 11: 294 (1962) |
| Echium tenoreanum | Lacaita | J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 44: 387 (1919) |
| Echium tuberculatum | Gilib. | Fl. Lit. Inch. i. 27. 1782 |
| Echium vaudense | Gremli | Beitr. Fl. Schweiz : 83 (1870) |
| Echium violaceum | Stokes | in With. Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. II. i. 201. |
| Echium vulgare f. albiflorum | Ralph Hoffm. | Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 36: 318. 1922 |
| Echium vulgare var. grandiflorum | Bertol. | |
| Echium vulgare var. lacaitae | (Sennen) O.Bolòs & Vigo | Collect. Bot. (Barcelona) 14: 91 (1983) |
| Echium wierzbickii | Haberle ex Rchb. | Fl. Germ. Excurs. : 336 (1831) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | viper's bugloss |
| English | vipers bugloss |
| English | blueweed |
| English | common viper's bugloss |
| Spanish | lengua de buey |
| Spanish | lengua de vaca |
| Spanish | cardo |
| Spanish | chupamiel |
| Spanish | chupamieles |
| Spanish | buglosa |
| Spanish | lengua de buey salvaje |
| Spanish | lenguaza |
| Spanish | abalea |
| Spanish | boninos |
| Spanish | buglosa salvaje |
| Spanish | hierba azul |
| Spanish | hierba de la víbora |
| Spanish | hierba viborera |
| Spanish | jarrita |
| Spanish | lengua de buey salvage |
| Spanish | lenguardia |
| Spanish | paquetequieromañosa |
| Spanish | viborera |
| Spanish | viborera común |
| Spanish | viborera morada |
| Spanish | viperina |
| Spanish | vivorera morada |
| Spanish | yapazos |
| Spanish | yerba de la víbora |
| Spanish | hierba de la vibora |
| Spanish | pa que te quiero manosa |
| Spanish | pa que te quiero mañosa |
| Spanish | pa qué te quiero manosa |
| Spanish | pa qué te quiero mañosa |
| Spanish | paquetequieromanosa |
| Spanish | yerba de la vibora |
| Arabic | أخيون |
| Arabic | حشيشة أفعى |
| Azerbaijani | adi göyək |
| Azerbaijani | adi qızartıotu |
| Belarusian | Сіняк звычайны |
| Belarusian | Сіняквет звычайны |
| Bulgarian | Обикновено усойниче |
| Catalan | viperina |
| Catalan | llengua de bou |
| Catalan | bolenga borda |
| Catalan | borratja borda |
| Catalan | cul de porc |
| Catalan | herba viborera |
| co | viparina turchina |
| Czech | hadinec obecný |
| Welsh | gwiberlys |
| Welsh | tafod y bwch |
| Danish | almindelig slangehoved |
| German | gemeiner natterkopf |
| German | gewöhnlicher natterkopf |
| German | gewöhnlicher natternkopf |
| German | blauer natternkopf |
| German | gewöhnlicher natternkopf (echium vulgare) |
| Estonian | ussikeel |
| Estonian | harilik ussikeel |
| Basque | sugegorri-belar |
| Persian | گل افعی رسمی |
| Finnish | kyläneidonkieli |
| Finnish | neidonkieli |
| Finnish | piennarneidonkieli |
| French | viperine commune |
| French | vipérine commune |
| Irish | lus nathrach |
| Croatian | obična lisičina |
| Upper Sorbian | módry kosmač |
| Upper Sorbian | wšědna hrimanka |
| Hungarian | kígyószisz |
| Hungarian | terjőke kígyószisz |
| Armenian | Իժախոտ սովորական |
| Icelandic | naðurkollur |
| Italian | erba viperina |
| Japanese | シベナガムラサキ |
| Georgian | ლურჯი ძირწითელა |
| Kabyle | Ṭaḥṛajaṭ |
| Korean | 에키움 |
| Cornish | taves ojyon |
| Cornish | naderles |
| Lithuanian | paprastasis ežeinis |
| Macedonian | Волчја опашка |
| Norwegian Bokmål | ormehode |
| Dutch | slangenkruid |
| oc | bourrage-fèr |
| oc | suçamèlo |
| os | Уохъ |
| Polish | Żmijowiec zwyczajny |
| Portuguese | erva-viperina |
| Portuguese | viperina |
| Quechua | llunku-llunku |
| Romanian | iarba şarpelui |
| Romanian | iarba șarpelui |
| Russian | Синяк обыкновенный |
| Slovak | hadinec obyčajný |
| Slovenian | navadni gadovec |
| Albanian | ushqerza e rëndomtë |
| Swedish | blåeld |
| Swedish | blåtistel |
| Swedish | rävarompa |
| Swedish | rävasvans |
| Turkish | adi engerek otu |
| Ukrainian | Синяк звичайний |
| Chinese | 蓝蓟 |
| Chinese | 藍薊 |
Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Echium vulgare subsp. argentae | (Pau) Font Quer | Fl. Cardó 121 1950 |
| Echium vulgare subsp. asturicum | (Lacaita) Klotz | Wiss. Z. Martin-Luther-Univ. Halle-Wittenberg, Math.-Naturwiss. Reihe 11: 704. 1962 (1962) |
| Echium vulgare subsp. pustulatum | (Sm.) Em.Schmid & Gams | Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5: 2195 1927 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!| Sow seeds at 20°C, expecting germination within 3 months without further temperature treatment. |
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Morocco
-
Southern Africa
- Cape Provinces
- Free State
- Lesotho
- Northern Provinces
-
Northern Africa
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
-
China
- Xinjiang
-
Middle Asia
- Kazakhstan
- Kirgizstan
- Tadzhikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
-
Russian Far East
- Khabarovsk
- Primorye
- Sakhalin
-
Siberia
- Altay
- Buryatiya
- Irkutsk
- Krasnoyarsk
- West Siberia
-
Western Asia
- Cyprus
- East Aegean Islands
- Turkey
-
Caucasus
-
Australasia click to expand
-
Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
-
New Zealand
- New Zealand North
- New Zealand South
-
Australia
-
Europe click to expand
-
Eastern Europe
- Baltic States
- Belarus
- Central European Russia
- East European Russia
- Krym
- 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
- Sicilia
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
-
Southwestern Europe
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
- Spain
-
Eastern Europe
-
Northern America click to expand
-
Eastern Canada
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Québec
-
North-central U.S.A.
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
-
Northeastern U.S.A.
- Connecticut
- Indiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
-
Northwestern U.S.A.
- Idaho
- Montana
- Oregon
- Washington
- Wyoming
-
South-central U.S.A.
- New Mexico
- Texas
-
Southeastern U.S.A.
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- District Of Columbia
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
-
Southwestern U.S.A.
- Utah
-
Subarctic America
- Alaska
-
Western Canada
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
-
Eastern Canada
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Southern South America
- Argentina South
- Chile Central
- Chile South
-
Southern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000663145 |
| UNII | J42I49MM1T |
| Canadensys | 3764 |
| USDA Plants | ECVU |
| Tropicos | 4000024 |
| INPN | 95793 |
| Flora of Italy | 4293 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:115950-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2784423 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 277970 |
| PFAF | Echium vulgare |
| Open Tree Of Life | 681834 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 34253 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000004019 |
| Nature Serve | 2.157743 |
| IPNI | 115950-1 |
| iNaturalist | 56174 |
| GBIF | 2925892 |
| Freebase | /m/051mgy |
| WisFlora | 3468 |
| EPPO | EHIVU |
| EOL | 579910 |
| Elurikkus | 4479 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 9888 |
| USDA GRIN | 14879 |
| Wikipedia | Echium_vulgare |
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)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
| 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(95)00847-0 |
| [(7R,8R)-7-(3-methylbut-2-enoyloxy)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolizin-1-yl]methyl (2R)-2,3-dihydroxy-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylbutanoate | 101696508 | Click to see | 397.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| 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/10.2307/4117899 |
| 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(95)00847-0 |
| Asperumine | 6443107 | Click to see | 319.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| Echimidine | 5281729 | Click to see CC=C(C)C(=O)OC1CCN2C1C(=CC2)COC(=O)C(C(C)O)(C(C)(C)O)O | 397.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| Heliosupine | 5281732 | Click to see | 397.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| Leptanthine | 12085705 | Click to see | 315.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| Lycopsamine | 107938 | Click to see CC(C)C(C(C)O)(C(=O)OCC1=CCN2C1C(CC2)O)O | 299.36 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| Uplandicine | 156778 | Click to see | 357.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Lineolic acids and derivatives | |||||
| gamma-Linolenic acid | 5280933 | Click to see CCCCCC=CCC=CCC=CCCCCC(=O)O | 278.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2005.12.005 |
| trans-9-cis-12-Octadecadienoic acid | 5282798 | Click to see | 280.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2005.12.005 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives | |||||
| 17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol | 86821 | Click to see CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-1978(00)00010-7 |
| Stigmast-5-en-3-ol | 22012 | Click to see | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-1978(00)00010-7 |
| > Organic acids and derivatives / Carboxylic acids and derivatives / Tricarboxylic acids and derivatives | |||||
| Echivulgarine | 122214229 | Click to see | 479.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
| > 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/10.2307/4117899 https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(95)00847-0 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 2 |