Bitter Milkwort
Parts Usually Used
The entire plant
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Bitter milkwort is a European perennial plant; the usually simple stem, only 4-6 inches high, rises from a rosette of obovate basal leaves and itself bears alternate, oblong-ovate leaves. Terminal racemes of blue, sometimes rose-colored or white, flowers appear from April to June. Other varieties: P. vulgaris; P. senega; P. sibirica (Siberian milkwort); P. reinii (Chinese milkwort).
Where Found
Grows in the dry parts of wet meadows and in sunny, rocky places, preferring limestone soils.
Medicinal Properties
Bitter tonic, diaphoretic, expectorant, galactagogue
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed bitter milkwort for respiratory complaints, including coughs and chronic chest conditions. Traditional practitioners also administered it to stimulate a sluggish appetite, and the rootstock was historically given for chronic diarrhea. In folk practice, nursing mothers sometimes took the plant with the intention of promoting milk flow.
Bibliography
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023