Lungwort: Side Effects and Safety at a Glance

Lungwort has a good reputation as a gentle herb for the cold season, and that reputation is deserved. Still, research turns up a technical term that sounds more worrying than it is with a tested product: pyrrolizidine alkaloids, PAs for short. The short answer first: you will usually tolerate lungwort itself without any problem. The real safety point lies not in the plant alone but in its family. That is what this article is about: what PAs really mean, who should be more careful, and how to recognise a safe, tested product. Because this is about safety, you get the full picture, without sugar-coating and without needless drama.

What Is Lungwort?

Lungwort (botanically Pulmonaria officinalis) is a native wild perennial from the borage family (Boraginaceae): white-spotted, roughly haired leaves and flowers that shift from pink to blue. The name has nothing to do with the lung in a medical sense; it comes from the old doctrine of signatures, in which the pale leaf spots resembled a lung, a symbolic reading and not evidence of an effect. The parts used are those above ground, mostly as a powder or extract in capsules. Traditionally, lungwort belongs in herbal blends for the throat, thanks to mucilage that coats the mucous membranes, plus silica, flavonoids and tannins. There is no authorised health claim for lungwort; what remains is its long herbal tradition.

Possible Side Effects

Most people tolerate lungwort itself well. The mucilage and tannins can, in rare cases, cause an upset stomach if you take a very high dose. As a rule, that is the whole list of direct side effects.

The real safety point lies elsewhere: lungwort belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae), and this plant family can form pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), natural compounds that some plants evolved as their own protection against being eaten. This is not just a lungwort issue but one for whole plant families: the same caution applies, for example, to certain herbal teas, borage or honey from some regions. In higher amounts and with permanent intake, PAs are suspected of straining the liver; for some of them, animal studies have also shown a genotoxic potential. For PAs the rule is therefore: as little as possible, not "harmless up to a limit". To put it in perspective: the few documented severe poisonings worldwide almost always trace back to heavily contaminated grain or unregulated wild-herb teas, not to tested supplements from retail.

For you as a buyer, the quality of the product is what counts. Reputable manufacturers have every batch independently tested in a lab for PAs before it is sold. Since July 2022, the EU has also set a legal maximum of 400 micrograms of PA per kilogram for herbal food supplements, which products on the market must meet. It is a fairly recent rule, and a lungwort picked wild at the roadside naturally never passes it. A tested capsule product does. If a supplier does not show its lab report on its own, ask for it.

Who Should Be Especially Careful

For most healthy adults who take a tested lungwort product in cycles, PAs hardly matter in practice: the amounts in a lab-tested capsule complex are in the microgram range, far below what played a role in the old poisonings from contaminated wild herbs or teas. In other words, you would have to take unrealistically large amounts of a tested product over a very long time for PAs to become practically relevant.

Look more closely if you take lungwort continuously for many months, or if you combine several PA-relevant herbs at once, such as various herbal teas on top of a capsule product, because then the total adds up. If you have an existing liver condition, or regularly take medication that the liver breaks down, general restraint with PA-relevant plants makes sense too, and that applies to the whole plant family, not just lungwort. For children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, there is not enough safety data: take it only after consulting a doctor or midwife.

Lungwort is no issue at all for anyone who simply wants a traditional herb for their cold-season routine and chooses a product with a lab report.

What to Look for When You Buy

There is no universal lungwort dose because there is no uniform monograph, so follow the information on your pack; it varies with extract concentration and formulation. Take capsules with enough liquid, ideally with a meal if your stomach is sensitive. With a multi-herb complex for the cold season, spreading the intake over the day is often sensible if the pack says so. Take your product in cycles instead of endlessly: a few weeks, then a pause of one to two weeks before you start again. That keeps your PA intake low automatically, without giving up lungwort in the cold season. Our lungwort complex makes this easy: two capsules daily with a glass of water, and 120 capsules last 60 days of use, enough for one longer cure or two shorter ones. Skip self-foraged or loose, untested lungwort: without lab analysis you do not know the actual PA content, and mix-ups with other wild plants are an additional risk.

With lungwort, the purchase decision is directly a safety decision. Here is what to look for:

• PA-tested batch: Every batch should be independently lab-tested for pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Ask the manufacturer for the current lab report. A supplier with a clear conscience shows it to you without fuss.
• Controlled cultivation instead of wild harvesting: Raw material from defined cultivation can be traced and specifically controlled; wild-harvested material cannot.
• Lungwort first on the ingredients list: Ingredients are listed in descending order by amount. If lungwort comes first, it is a main ingredient rather than a token one. In our complex, lungwort powder comes first, with 200 mg per daily dose.
• Transparent origin: Production in Germany or the EU means tighter controls than imports from outside the EU.
• Sensible companion nutrients: Vitamin C, B2 and selenium make sense: vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system, so does selenium, and vitamin B2 contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes. Our complex contains 40 mg vitamin C, 700 µg vitamin B2 and 55 µg selenium per daily dose.
• Capsule shell without unnecessary additives: Plant-based shells made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose are vegan; also look for the absence of carrageenan and PEG. Our capsules are vegan and 100% free of additives, colourings and fillers.
• Price per daily dose instead of pack price: Convert the pack price to the daily dose before you compare. A large tub looks cheap but can cost more per portion than a smaller one with a higher concentration.

An Honest Assessment

The PA caution around borage-family plants is real, but it mainly concerns uncontrolled sources: heavily contaminated wild material, unregulated herbal teas or supplements without lab control. For an EU-made, batch-tested lungwort product that you take in cycles rather than endlessly, the risk is low by today's knowledge. That is why a look at origin and lab report is worth more than any blanket reassurance. Safety here comes from control, not from optimism.

What we are not saying: that PAs are harmless in any amount. For cancer risk, no safe limit can simply be set, so the rule remains as little as necessary. Take lungwort for what it is: a traditional herb with a good safety profile when origin and lab testing are right. No reason to worry, but no free pass for unlimited amounts either.

Matching Products from Scheunengut

Our lungwort complex puts lungwort powder first on the ingredients list, 200 mg per daily dose of two capsules. Added are ginger, rosehip, Iceland moss, mallow, Baikal skullcap, peppermint, chamomile, goldenrod, eucalyptus and sage, all made in Germany. It is topped up with 40 mg vitamin C, 700 µg vitamin B2 and 55 µg selenium. Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system, and it contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system, and it also contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Vitamin B2 contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.

Two more products from our range suit the cold season: sage as a 60:1 extract from Macedonian leaves with at least 2.5% rosmarinic acid, and vitamin D3 + K2 with 5,000 IU D3 and 100 µg K2Pure® per tablet, just one every 5th day (180 tablets last 900 days). Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system. Not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and adolescents.

Scheunengut has existed since 2012. We work without investors and rely on pure raw-material quality. Purity and safety are our highest quality standards: raw materials and finished products of every batch go to independent labs, and we send you the current lab report on request.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Side Effects Can Lungwort Cause?

Direct side effects are rare, occasionally an upset stomach at a very high dose. The real safety point is not the plant itself but possible pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which can occur across the borage plant family. That is why lab testing of the batch matters most with lungwort.

Does Lungwort Contain Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs)?

Lungwort belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae), which can form PAs. That is a trait of the family, not proof of high levels in every single plant or product. An independent lab report shows the actual content of your specific product.

Is Lungwort Harmful to the Liver?

With a tested, batch-controlled product at the usual dose, that is unlikely. It looks different with high, uncontrolled PA amounts, for example from heavily contaminated wild material: those can strain the liver. That is why lab testing and cyclical rather than endless use are the decisive safety factors.

How Long Can I Take Lungwort Continuously?

Ideally in cycles: take it for a few weeks, then pause for one to two weeks before you start again. There is no fixed upper limit; the pause simply follows the principle of using PA-relevant plants as sparingly as makes sense.

Is Lungwort Safe During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding?

There is not enough safety data for this, so taking it on your own during this time is not recommended. Discuss it beforehand with your doctor or midwife.

What Should I Look for When Buying Lungwort Products?

Most important is an independent lab test of the batch for PAs, plus EU manufacturing, controlled rather than wild-harvested cultivation and lungwort first on the ingredients list. If in doubt, ask for the lab report.