Viper’s Bugloss – A Herb that Bites Hypertension, Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease

As you can easily tell by its name, viper’s bugloss was traditionally use for treating viper bites and for preventing an eventual poisoning. It acts mainly as a diaphoretic and diuretic, but it is also a very good antitussive and vulnerary, and a recent scientific study proved it to have antibacterial and antioxidant properties also.

Scientific studies

A study published in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules in 2014 showed that certain polysaccharides extracted from the flowers of viper’s bugloss have “significant radical scavenging abilities in vitro assay” and “their antilisterial activity was confirmed against four species of Listeria.”

Moreover, its roots contain allantoin, a susbtance with many scientifically proven therapeutic effects:

A study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2014 concluded that “allantoin has therapeutic potential for the cognitive dysfunctions observed in Alzheimer’s disease.”

The results of a study on mice, published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2013, suggest that “allantoin can ameliorate energy intake and epididymal white adipose tissue accumulation by activating the imidazoline I-1 receptor to improve high fat diet-induced obesity.”

A study on the effect of allantoin on high fat diet-fed mice with hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, published in Hormone and Metabolic Research in 2012, concluded that “allantoin has an ability to activate the imidazoline I-1 receptor for improvement of metabolic disorders.”

A study published in BioMed Research International in 2014 suggest that “allantoin, as an imidazoline I-1 receptor agonist, has the potential to develop as a new therapeutic agent for hypertension in the future.”

Two studies published in Hormone and Metabolic Research in 2012 concluded that “allantoin can activate the imidazoline I-2 receptor to increase glucose uptake into cells” and that it “can be developed to treat diabetic disorders in the future.”

The results of a study on the efficacy of early initiation of a gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin for scar treatment, published in Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in 2013, revealed that “the scar gel is effective in preventing excessive scarring and promoting physiological scar formation when treatment is initiated early.”

Medicinal uses

• Fatigue
• Headache, inflammatory pain
• Epilepsy
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Bacterial infections
• Cough
• Fever
• High blood pressure
• Water retention
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Diarrhea
• Reddened skin
• Skin lesions, whitlows, boils, snakebites

Preparation and administration

• Infusion: Add 1 teaspoon of dried plant in a cup of hot boiled water and let steep for 10-15 minutes. Drink 2-3 cups a day.
• Culinary: Young leaves and shoots can be finely cut and used in salads or cooked like spinach.
• Poultice (especially for whitlows and boils): Finely cut the flowering tips and apply on the affected area.