Effect:
anti-inflammatory
Areas of application:
Lung problems, bronchitis, cough, whooping cough, colds, eye baths
Parts of the plant used:
Flowers, leaves, shoots
Collection time:
May to September
Can be found:
On swampy edges of nutrient-rich bodies of water, ditches or small lakes. It also grows in wet meadows, in reed beds and in marsh forests.
Ingredients:
Tanning agents, alkaloids, a few pyrrolizidine alkaloids (except flowers), rosmarinic acid
Other:
The sump forget-me-not is a wintering green, herbaceous plant and reaches heights of mostly 15 to 80 (5 to 100) centimeters. It can grow firmly upright or appear somewhat limp. Its stem is rounded to slightly angular and is usually hairy, but in the lower stem area it is often protruding, rarely also hairy backwards. The branches of the stem are usually acute-angled. Above-ground runners over 10 centimeters long can form. The densely packed leaves are hairy. The flowering period extends from May to September. The inflorescences have only two branches, i.e. only contain whorls, are always leafless and have upright hairs. The hermaphrodite flowers are radially symmetrical and five-petaled with a double perianth. The five pressed-on hairy sepals are fused over about two-thirds of their length. The sky-blue corolla is plate-shaped with a diameter of 4 to 12 millimeters. The corolla has five yellow pharyngeal scales, which are intended to convey the flower entrance. The 0.8 to 1.2 millimeter long anthers do not protrude above the corolla and some are stunted. The stigmas are enclosed within the corolla. The flowering period is April to October. The fruit stalk is a lot longer than the calyx. The aconite fruits break down into four aconites. The aconites are 1.2 to 1.8 millimeters long. (Wikipedia)
🛑 The leaves and shoots contain small amounts of the liver-damaging substance pyrrolizidine alkaloid. This is still controversial. It should not be taken in high doses or used on a long-term basis.
There are many myths surrounding the forget-me-not; it symbolizes the longing for faithful and pure love - as well as tender memories of it.
In the kitchen, the flowers are suitable as edible decorations in various dishes.