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Common Name: Bugleweed

General Information

Lycopus virginicus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - New York and Wisconsin south to Georgia and Texas.

Habitat

Low damp shady ground in rich moist soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Tolerates most soil types so long as they are wet. Succeeds in full sun or in partial shade[], in damp meadows or in wet places by ponds or streams[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

Bugleweed has sedative properties and is used in modern herbalism principally to treat an overactive thyroid gland and the racing heartbeat that often accompanies this condition[].
The whole plant is used as an astringent, hypoglycaemic, mild narcotic and mild sedative[, , , ]. It also slows and strengthens heart contractions[]. The plant has been shown to be of value in the treatment of hyperthyroidism[, ], it is also used in the treatment of coughs, bleeding from the lungs and consumption, excessive menstruation etc[, ]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women or patients with hypothyroidism[]. The plant is harvested as flowering begins and can be use fresh or dried, in an infusion or as a tincture[, ].
The root has been chewed, a portion swallowed and the rest applied externally in the treatment of snakebites[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring or autumn[]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.