Plant Witchery: Discover the Sacred Language, Wisdom, and Magic of 200 Plants - Juliet Diaz 2020

Lungwort Pulmonaria
A Compendium of Plants

ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES

healing, courage

Lungwort has a charming variety of alternate names, including cowslip, bloody butcher, spilt milk, and spotted dog. I’m not certain where “bloody butcher” came from, but the leaves are speckled with white—looking just like someone splashed milk on them. Slugs go after lungwort, so you could use this easily grown plant as a border to protect your other plants.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

The mucilage (a gummy substance, like you find in okra) contained in lungwort leaves is very effective in combating bronchitis, and can calm a sore throat. Lungwort can also help wounds heal, and stop bleeding. Lungwort doesn’t have much flavor, and the leaves are a little hairy and slimy from the mucilage, but cooked they make a nice side dish, much like cooked baby spinach.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES

Lungwort nurtures the connection between the outer self and the inner being—she helps us to slow down and take time for self-healing. She calms the spirit and eases the stress of daily life, so that you have the space to listen to your inner truth.

PLANT WISDOM

My abuela would tell me this all the time—the reason so many people don’t succeed is because they are afraid of their own power. Lungwort can help you embrace your power and allow you to find your true self and understand what you are truly capable of. We all lose ourselves from time to time, but lungwort will bring you the courage to find your way back to yourself. Remember, getting lost isn’t a bad thing—it’s a healing thing—for in that lost space we have nowhere to turn but inward. Dreaming of lungwort symbolizes a return, a return back to your true self.