Viper’s Bugloss is a biennial or monocarpic perennial plant growing to 30-80 cm tall, with rough, hairy, lanceolate leaves. The flowers start pink and turn vivid blue and are 15-20 mm in a branched spike, with all the stamens protruding. Stamens remain red and stand out against the blue flowers. It flowers between May and September. It is found in dry, bare and waste places.

Uses

Viper’s bugloss was once considered to be a preventative and remedy for viper bites. In recent times, however, it has fallen out of use, partly due to lack of interest in its medicinal potential and partly to its content of pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are toxic in isolation.