Black root officinalis
Black root (lat. Cynoglossum officinale) is a pubescent herbaceous biennial plant of the genus Black root (lat. Cynoglossum) from the borage family (lat. Boraginaceae).
The spectacular plant often grows like a weed, emitting an unpleasant odor. All parts of the plant contain a number of substances that are poisonous, but can be used to produce dyes and also as medicines, provided protective measures are taken and correct dosage is taken.
What’s in your name
“Chernokoren” is the Russian name for a plant genus, given to it for the blackish sheath that covers the plants’ underground roots.
The Latin name of the genus is based on the appearance of the leaves and the tactile sensations of a person when touching the leaves. The appearance of the leaves is very simple – they are solid elongated oval leaves, shaped like a dog’s tongue. The hair on the leaves leaves a rough feeling on the human hand, which is also interpreted in favor of the dog’s tongue. Such qualities of the leaves gave rise to the Latin name of the genus “Cynoglossum”, composed of two Greek words. Botanists often resort to the Greek language when looking for a suitable name for plants. In this case, words were used that sounded like “dog” and “tongue” in translation. This is how the name “Cynoglossum” came about, that is, “Dog tongue”, or other variations: “Dog tongue”, “Hound dog tongue”..
There are no questions about the specific epithet “officinale” (“medicinal”). It is assigned to the plant for its healing abilities, which should be used with extreme caution due to the toxicity of the plant.
Description
The straight, few herbaceous stems of the biennial plant grow up to a meter in height. In the upper part of the plant the stems branch.
Food for the plant is obtained by a taproot with a diameter of up to 2. 5 centimeters, covered with a blackish shell, which gave it the generic name “Blackroot”.
Oblong-lanceolate basal leaves up to 20 centimeters long and up to 5 centimeters wide have petioles. Climbing higher up the stem, the leaves lose their petioles, turning sessile and becoming narrower and sharper. By the time of flowering, the basal leaves, having fulfilled their role, die off. The stems and leaves of Blackroot officinalis are covered with rather thick and dense pubescence.
The paniculate inflorescences that adorn the plant from May to June are formed by small red-blue flowers on long pubescent pedicels, giving the impression that nature has carefully wrapped the stems in felt against adversity, taking care of procreation.
By the end of summer, bristly, egg-shaped fruits appear.
The toxicity of all parts of the Blackroot officinalis is manifested even in the unpleasant odor emanating from the plant. This already alarms a person and calls for caution when collecting medicinal raw materials.
Healing abilities of Blackroot officinalis
Along with poisonous alkaloids, the above-ground parts of the plant contain a number of useful substances, such as carotene, fatty and essential oils, choline (vitamin B4, which improves human memory, the nervous system and regulates insulin levels), resins. In addition to alkaloids, the roots contain inulin, acids, tannins, and alkanine (a coloring matter).
Traditional healers could not pass by such wealth. They used the leaves and roots of the plant to treat many ailments, including skin diseases (boils, burns, wounds and scratches), colds, coughs, muscle cramps, when it is necessary to reduce unbearable pain.
The use of Blackroot officinalis in the fight against rodents
The unpleasant smell of the plant alarms not only humans, but is also a deterrent for mice, rats, moles and other living creatures that like to gnaw on other people’s crops.
You can simply spread the plant’s grass along with its roots in the cellar, or use the plant’s sap to scare away.
