The leaves and young tops of this true alkanet are used like spinach both cooked and in salads although it is advisable to blanch them for a minute before draining and rinsing in cold water.
  Alkanet leaves and flowers can be dried and used in pot pourris and the fresh leaves smell a little like wild strawberries.

Anchusa

​(Anchusa italica)

One of the most beautiful May-flowering plants. Attains
4-5 feet, with flowers of the richest blue. Should be put
in 2 feet apart. This plant is best treated as a biennial,
and raised from seed sown in the open in drills 6 inches
apart and an inch deep. The seeds are large and should
be put in singly. Sow in mid-May and plant out in
flowering positions in autumn. Can be propagated also
by root division. Does best in full sun, and almost
any soil.

Tisanes of the leaves and roots are thought to relieve persistent coughs and promote sweating during fevers. They are also supposed to be able to lift depression and banish melancholia. The expressed juice from this alkanet was good they say for pleurisy. The tisane can be used on the skin for any irritation or rash and soothes and softens it. It can also be used as an astringent for wounds. In traditional medicine it is used as a blood purifier to expel toxins from the body with its diuretic action.