What is Lithospermum officinale

In our daily lives, some inconspicuous medicinal herbs are actually very powerful and can treat many diseases, so it is necessary for us to understand the effects of some Chinese herbal medicines, which is beneficial to our health. For example, Lithospermum officinale. We should first know what Lithospermum officinale is, what effects Lithospermum officinale has on our human body, and how we use Lithospermum officinale as medicine.

Lithospermum is grown in many provinces of our country. Because the root of Lithospermum is dark red and purple in appearance, it is named Lithospermum. The medicinal value of Lithospermum is very high. Lithospermum can play a contraceptive role and is beneficial to our body's circulatory system.

Lithospermum officinale is a perennial herb whose roots are rich in purple substances. The stems are usually 1-3, erect, 40-90 cm high, with appressed and spreading short, rough hairs, branched at the top, the branches obliquely ascending and often slightly curved. The leaves are sessile, ovate-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 3-8 cm long, 7-17 mm wide, gradually pointed at the apex, gradually narrowed at the base, with short strigosus on both sides, the veins are raised on the underside of the leaves, and there are denser strigosus along the veins. Inflorescence grows on the upper part of stems and branches, 2-6 cm long, and the fruiting period is extended; bracts are the same shape as leaves but smaller; calyx lobes are linear, about 4 mm long, the fruit can reach 9 mm, and there are short rough hairs on the back; corolla is white, 7-9 mm long, slightly hairy on the outside, the tube is about 4 mm long, the eaves is nearly the same length as the tube, the lobes are broadly ovate, 2.5-3 mm long, spreading, entire or wavy, the apex is sometimes slightly concave, the throat appendage is hemispherical and glabrous; stamens are born slightly above the middle of the corolla tube, the filaments are about 0.4 mm long, and the anthers are 1-1.2 mm long; the style is 2.2-2.5 mm long, and the stigma is capitate. The nutlets are ovoid, milky white or light yellowish brown, about 3.5 mm long, smooth, shiny, and with a concave longitudinal groove on the midline of the ventral surface. Flowering and fruiting period is June to September.

Above we introduced what lithospermum is. We know that lithospermum is named lithospermum because of its dark red-purple appearance. Lithospermum has good medicinal effects. We can use lithospermum for contraception, and we can also use lithospermum for antibacterial and anti-inflammatory purposes. In addition, lithospermum also has anti-tumor function and can inhibit cancer.