Herb: Trailing Bellflower


Latin name: Cyananthus lobatus


Family: Campanulaceae (Bellflower Family)



Medicinal use of Trailing Bellflower:

The flowers are used in Tibetan medicine, they are said to have a sweet, astringent and acrid taste with a cooling potency. They are laxative and dry up serous fluids, and are used in the treatment of various serous disorders and constipation. The juice of the root, mixed with a equal quantity of the root juice of Valeriana jatamansii, is used in the treatment of peptic ulcers.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
10 cm
(4 inches)

Flowering:
September
to October

Habitat of the herb:

Found in the alpine zone at heights of up to 4,200 metres. Open fields at elevations of 3300 - 4700 metres in Nepal.

Propagation of Trailing Bellflower:

Seed - best sown in the autumn as soon as it is ripe. Only just cover the seed and place it in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse until large enough to plant out (this is best done in early to mid summer). Softwood cuttings in spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Found in the alpine zone at heights of up to 4,200 metres. Open fields at elevations of 3300 - 4700 metres in Nepal.

Known hazards of Cyananthus lobatus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.