Veronica beccabunga
| Veronica beccabunga | |
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| Species: | V. beccabunga
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| Veronica beccabunga | |
Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga), also called European speedwell, is a succulent herb belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It grows on the margins of brooks and ditches in Europe, North Africa, and north and western Asia.[1] It can be found on other continents as an introduced species. It has smooth spreading branches, blunt oblong leaves and small bright blue or pink flowers.[1]
The species name beccabunga comes from Danish bekkebunge (literally "brook bunch") or a similar source.[2]
Medicinal usage
Brooklime was one of three traditional antiscorbutic herbs (alongside scurvy grass and watercress), used in purported remedies for scurvy. However none of these herbs are rich in vitamin C and the usual preparation by extracting of juices would have destroyed most of their content, rendering the preparations ineffectual against true scurvy.[3]
Notes
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 646.
- ^ CalFlora Botanical Names
- ^ Hughes, R.E. (1990). "The rise and fall of the "antiscorbutics": some notes on the traditional cures for "land scurvy"". Medical History. 34: 52–64. doi:10.1017/s0025727300050262. PMC 1036000. PMID 2405219.
External links
- USDA Plants Profile
- "Veronica beccabunga". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
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